Surviving Death
by Gin Nanashi
Summary: …is easier said than done in these warring times. [WARNING: SeIf-Insert, OCs, non-canon]
1. 00: Prologue

**_Surviving Death_**

* * *

**00: Prologue**

* * *

_It was the year 2043._

"MOVE!"

I shoved her to the ground and we rolled behind a collapsed brick wall just as bullets rained down on the spot where we had been, throwing up a momentary veil of dust.

_I was supposed to turn 51 in a few weeks._

"Shit! I think I broke it," she cursed and cradled her arm before wincing, "Ugh… Definitely broken."

_But that was not to be._

Replacing my empty handgun into my hoister, I reached for the blade hidden in my right boot and looked over my temporary barrier to see one, two, three men covered in grunge and speaking in their native tongue.

_At the time, we were at war…with the _world_._

One of them kicked at the rubble and spat something possibly derogatory.

_It was unfortunate, indeed _horrific_, what we humans had done to our beloved Earth… _

The other two merely shook their heads and gestured around them.

_…until everything finally spiraled out of control: global warming, coastal floods, extinction…and so much _more_._

Without taking my eyes off of them, I whispered to the young woman beside me, "Ammo?"

"…Two bullets," she grunted after tying a sling around her arm and cocking her pistol, "How many?"

"One short," was my answer as I breathed deeply and readjusted my grip, "Get ready."

There was no vocal answer but I knew that she was prepared and so I clenched my hand around the hilt of my knife before darting through the dust and–

"Gurk!"

–running my weapon into his throat, spinning to use his corpse as my shield as bullets came flying at me.

One grazed my left shoulder and the other against my right hip but, two distinct bangs later, the sound of two bodies collapsing alerted me of their fall and I threw away my temporary shield, swiftly retreating to her side.

_Three more deaths were added to the billions who had died already._

"Mission complete," she chirped weakly as she patted the bag of supplies around her hips, "Let's head back. It's almost dusk anyway."

I glanced up at the cloudy sky that rarely lifted nowadays and raised a brow at her, making her snort and bump her better shoulder against mine in jest.

"You know what I mean."

And I did.

_Because the world had simply changed too much with so little growing naturally and so many people dying from starvation, from dehydration, from disease and infection…if not by one another._

Sheathing my weapon, I helped her up to her feet and she huffed, "Technically, I should be helping _you_, granny."

"Shut it, brat," I returned easily with a half-smirk, "You're just jealous that I can pull off these moves when I should be crippled, yo."

_How many lives had I taken? How many killers, scholars, thieves, athletes, rapists, youths had I murdered without much thought? How many more did I have to take before this nightmare ended?_

Sticking to the shadows and softening our steps, we began making our way back to our station and steadfastly ignored the blood on the floor, the limbs and bodies strewn about, the death and horror that constantly surrounded us.

_Ignore it…lest guilt consumes._

A chill ran down my spine and I saw it from the corner of my eyes before I grabbed her, throwing us to the side as–

BOOM!

–a deafening explosion ruptured my right eardrum (_can't hear…!_) but we had to keep moving or else–

BOOM!

–another would get us because we were surrounded by obstacles and these were _bombs_ that could easily rip us apart and then–

BOOM!

–there was light (_blindingly bright_) and heat (_burning my legs, my sides, my arms_) and smoke (_in my lungs, in my face, all around_) and we crashed into the dirt.

Pain flared throughout my body and I tried coughing out the blood in my collapsed lungs, tried gasping in that precious air, tried reacting but–

Numbness was quickly setting in and I could barely make out her coughing form as my vision blurred (_where are my glasses?_) into a tie dye of colors and I just felt so _tired_.

–everything was fading and all I could think was,

_Death count plus one, huh... _

* * *

**GN:** Okay, so, after reading who-knows-how-many self-inserts, OCs, reincarnation-fics, etc. and then watching _Sengoku Basara_ the anime along with a few Let's Plays, I felt compelled to try my hand at this style with this particular fandom. It won't be particularly long, 20 chapters at _most_, and this is different from my usual works but I hope you'll enjoy it regardless. :)

Some things to know beforehand:  
1. Although this is a self-insert, the "me" portrayed here isn't really _me_ since (i) the world's not completely screwed over at this point in time, (ii) I'm _imagining_ how I'd be like in a war-torn future, and (iii) this is fiction so a lot of things will end up being idealized.  
2. I won't be following canon religiously. If anything, I'll probably end up butchering it since this will follow "my" route. In fact, think of this as an in-game scenario in which "I" will be completing mission objectives, overcoming "bosses" and eventually ending with the fight against Nobunaga.  
3. I borrow a lot of concepts from things that I've read, especially from _Naruto_, so that's why certain things will seem familiar.

**Disclaimer:** I own "myself" and this fanfiction but nothing else.


	2. 01: The Mission

**_Surviving Death_**

* * *

Where…?

_When I was aware again, I felt oddly at ease with the darkness that surrounded me._

…warm…

_Even though I could barely move, even though I was surrounded on all sides by something or another, I couldn't bring myself to find an escape._

…safe…

_I'd associated my enclosure with that word and felt as if all of the fear, terror, horror, death, pain, _everything_ from Before was nothing more than a fleeting nightmare. _

…sleep…

_My thoughts were rarely, if ever, coherent during this time._

…her…

_But, during those rare times when I was remotely awake, I could hear muffled voices, typically of a young woman but sometimes there were several indistinguishable voices in addition to her._

…ah…

_It should've alarmed me but…I simply felt at peace._

How strange…

_That concept in itself was nothing more than an illusion…something that could never be obtained truly…because two years of war had stripped the hope for that vision from me._

…maybe…?

_Time was something that I could not track, nor did I feel the need to._

_In this space of warmth and darkness, I slept everything away, slipping from one moment of extremely vague awareness to the next… _

_…until I suddenly felt _panicked_._

Danger…!

_The feeling tugged at me insistently, urgently, telling me that my safe haven was no longer _safe_ and I _despaired_. _

Again, why?

_It felt like I was caged, chained, _trapped_ and there was this pressure all around me, I was being squeezed on all sides, but I couldn't move, couldn't escape, _couldn't fight back_ and then there was this distant light and then–_

…!

_–_sensations_ upon _sensations_ bombarded me._

_It was _cold_, it was harsh, it was _loud_, it buzzed and there was this gunk stuck _inside_ and I needed to _breathe_ and there was a sharp pain against my rear and I felt _humiliated_ at being treated this way and my arms were pinned to my sides and–_

_A cry, high-pitched and increasingly annoying, sounded like a distress signal._

_–everything just blurred together from there as flashes of memories abruptly came to the forefront._

I was a girl, being held up by a man with tanned skin and an itchy mustache and a broad smile, and squirming in discomfort.

I was a teenager, frozen in uncertainty, as a woman with pale skin and ruffled hair and wild eyes screamed incoherent things.

I was a young woman, sitting in front of those two aged adults with a nervous smile and declaring that I would find a job instead of going onto law school because studying made my brain hurt.

I was leaning against a young man's seat, ruffling his short hair and laughing at his lame puns, as a young woman smacked his arm and replied wittily.

I was power-walking from one area to another with a pile of paperwork in one hand and a cellphone held in the other, dictating what was to be done.

I was sleeping when everything around me suddenly burst into flames and there were these faceless people storming my home and I was screaming for them to leave us alone and–

Blood was everywhere.

_Something sharp and terrible pounded in my head and I groaned in pain, crying and wishing for it all to end, when I heard that voice._

_"_静けさ、私の子供_…__" (Shizukesa, watashi no kodomo…) [Hush, my child…]_

_She spoke so softly, so gently, so warmly that I focused my entire attention on her and felt my headache slowly ebb away._

_"_いい子_..._ママはあなたのためにここだ_..." (Ii ko… Mama wa anata no tame ni kokoda…) [Good girl… Mama's here for you…]_

_I didn't understand what she said but her words felt so familiar that I latched onto them like a drowning woman to a rock in the middle of the sea._

_"_私のキラ、私の光_... _恐怖のない世界に直面しています._" (Watashi no Kira, watashi no hikari… Kyoufu no nai sekai ni chokumen shite imasu.) [My Kira, my light… Face the world without fear.]_

_And a wave of exhaustion hit me as I snuggled into against something soft and yawned, already beginning to doze off._

…safe…

_A chuckle vibrated in her chest and I felt something soft and a bit wet touch my brow._

_"_おやすみ、キちゃん_..." (Oyasumi, Ki-chan…) [Good night, Ki-chan…]_

_I slipped into dreamland, remembering those times from Before when blood had yet to stain my hands and paranoia had yet to grip my mind, losing myself in a sea of memories…_

Am…I blind…?

_When I awoke once more, I saw nothing more than light and shadows and blurry shapes, even after several moments of rapid blinking in hopes to clear the haze._

I…I really can't see…!

_Panic began to bubble in my chest and tried to force it back with the training that I'd gone through Before but my body didn't want to reject instincts and sobs began to hiccup their way out of my throat._

Stop it… Stop crying, stupid…!

_A movement appeared from the corner of my burning eyes before tears began to flow._

How embarrassing,_ I managed to think through my anxiety, _I'm fucking 50 and here I am bawling like a baby.

_Hands grabbed and lifted me and I attempted to punch my captor but my arms merely bumped weakly against roughened clothes as a sharp voice hushed me._

_"_静かな、ガキ、太陽がほとんど上昇している_." (Shizukana, gaki, taiyou ga hotondo joushou shite ire.) [Quiet, brat, the sun has barely risen.]_

_Abruptly, I quieted (though my body continued to sniffle) as I recognized the language and wondered,_

Was I taken to St. Mark's Place or something?

_It was the only area that I could think of that was predominantly Japanese while remaining in New York._

_The woman hummed a bit and readjusted her grip on me before taking me to somewhere or another and it was then that I realized,_

How the hell is she carrying me so easily?!

_Wracking my mind for an explanation, I suddenly recalled those last moments… _

"Let's head back."

BOOM!

Pain flared throughout my body–

Numbness was quickly setting in–

–everything was fading…

_…and I jerked in her grip as if someone had slapped me because I _remembered_._

I'm dead.

_In some distant part of my mind, I noticed that my carrier had clicked her tongue and muttered something possibly derogatory at me but I ignored it as my mind was centered on one single thought._

I'm _dead._

_My head pounded a bit._

So why am I still _here_?!

_I was still breathing, still moving, still _feeling_ when I should be a lifeless _corpse_ strewn somewhere on the battlefield and decomposing._

Intel… I have to gather intel.

_Attempting to take in my surroundings, I tried to lift my head but it felt too heavy and I couldn't keep the whimper (of frustration, of fear) from escaping my lips and heard a heavy sigh from above me along with incoherent mumbling._

_Something slid across the floor and I soon found myself in another woman's hold as a familiar, sweet scent wafted into my nose._

Plum blossoms…

_I recognized it from the times I'd visited a friend's flower shop before everything had turned to hell._

How long has it been since I last smelled the flowers…?

_Because Earth had been _dying_ and there had been little to nothing left and no one had cared any longer for aesthetics when food and water were so much more _important_._

_"_おはようございます、キちゃん_." (Ohayou gozaimasu, Ki-chan.) [Good morning, Ki-chan.]_

_I roused from my thoughts at the sound of her voice and something soft was pressed against my lips._

_On instinct, my body reacted to suckle milk from her…_

Suckling…milk…?

_...and that was what cemented it for me._

_"_私の赤ちゃん_…__" (Watashi no aka-chan…) [My baby…]_

_For some inexplicable reason, I was a baby again._

Shit.

* * *

**01: The Mission**

* * *

My eyes snapped open to see a vast blueness before me.

_Beautiful… _

Blinking slowly, I gazed up at the encompassing sky, took in the bright sun, trailed the fluffy clouds that floated about and felt the gentle breeze on my face.

_…so familiar… _

My eyes fluttered close and I breathed deeply and slowly, simply enjoying the sound of daily life around me as the villagers bustled on the streets below.

_…thank goodness for the little mercies._

Because I didn't know how long I'd last in a world _radically_ different from Before.

_I wonder why I dreamt of then…?_

"Then" referred to when I'd been reborn into this new body, this new mind, this new _life_…

…that is unless my "true" body was actually in a coma and I was merely dreaming everything up. My appearance may actually be proof of that idea given how similar I am to Before. I still had my dark hair, my dark eyes, my light skin, my _birthmarks_ in _all_ of the _same_ spots.

Surely, that was more than coincidence…?

The brain is, after all, an amazing tool which has yet to be fully comprehended, even Before.

But I would never know because there was no evidence _of_ Before.

Because I was in a whole new world, in a whole new _era_, in which what I'd considered old and new combined.

I was in a world which I'd originally thought of as _fiction_, as _make believe_, as a product of its creator's _imagination_.

No wonder I'd thought of myself as perhaps insane…still think it in fact, especially on my off days.

For how else was I supposed to explain being in the _Sengoku Basara_ universe?

Heh, well, I suppose I could make myself out to be some kind of champion to some unknown god who chose me to be reborn with all of my memories in order to right whatever wrongs there were in the world…

…hn, _as if_.

I was no one special, not in comparison to the leaders who'd gathered the survivors and attempted to save us all, and I certainly never believed in any form of religion so having a god choose me would be senseless.

So no, that theory was highly unlikely, which relieved me to no end.

To be some puppet controlled by some other being was something that I'd loathe to no end.

Instead, as I pondered for years on end, I came to one probable answer in regards to reincarnating with my consciousness intact:

Chance.

That is, it _just happened_.

Of course, I'd still never be able to prove anything but that was fine.

I had _something_ to cling to aside from being insane.

Snapping to attention when the red of my eyelids darkened from a shadow that passed overhead, I peeked through my lashes to see a messenger hawk circle above me.

_Looks like there's work to do… _

With a soft sigh, I pushed myself up and held out a hand.

The bird screeched and spiraled downwards before landing gracefully on my mail-gauntlet and clicking her beak at me.

"Good morning to you too," I greeted her with a small smile and pulled out a dish of food and water, "You've traveled quite far, haven't you, Shunko?"

She was a beautiful red-tailed hawk, brought over from North America by my main supplier, and was trained to carry messages, scout from afar and gather intelligence. There was more that she could do but those were her main jobs. I'd been skeptical at first, not believing that a hawk would be able to communicate with me efficiently, but she went beyond my expectations. If anything, she was so intelligent that I'd sometimes mistaken her as _human_.

Shunko hopped off with a quirky chirp and turned to her well-deserved meal as I unzipped the little backpack that she wore and pulled out a scroll that was tied with a blue ribbon.

_A retrieval mission?_

Unrolling the message, I read:

_Kira,_

_You are to retrieve the following items–_

_1. Masamune Date's Crescent Moon Helmet_  
_2. Yukimura Genjiro Sanada's Coin Necklace_  
_3. Ieyasu Tokugawa's Double-bladed Spear_  
_4. Motochika Chosokabe's Anchor Spear_  
_5. Motonari Mori's Ring Blade_

–_and bring them to Zakuro's Teahouse in Kyoto no later than a month from now._

_Your employer will be wearing a cloak with "_愛_" embroidered on it._

_Standard procedure applies._

It was unsigned but I recognized the handwriting to be Fukuro's.

He was an older man, physically anyway, who managed a rather extensive information network and often passed me missions that he deemed were impossible for an ordinary mercenary.

_Not that I'm as special as he seems to think…"reincarnation" aside, anyway. _

Looking over the content again, I understood why he wanted me to take on this particular one.

_Who the hell would want to steal from five warlords and risk being hunted down by their armies?_

It was someone either incredibly drunk, foolish, prideful or even a combination of those traits…

…or it was someone with a hidden agenda.

For a moment, I toyed with the thought of simply destroying the mission statement and going on my merry way but the way that Fukuro had written and sent me the scroll bothered me.

_He's usually less curt than this… _

I frowned and scratched Shunko under her chin, asking softly, "Has something happened…?"

Her amber-red eyes glinted as she tilted her head to the side and clicked her beak once before stretching her wings and taking off into the distance.

My frown deepened and I stood up with narrowed eyes.

_There's definitely more to this than just a mission._

And my gut feelings were screaming at me to find out more.

_Will I finally be dragged into this war…?_

Looking over the scroll again, I couldn't help but think,

_Yes._

Everyone here was affected by the Warring States, after all.

* * *

Slipping into _Yoippari_, I looked around the dimly lit pub in search of its owner.

None of the few customers noticed me as I silently stepped from one shadow to the next before making my way passed the corded off area and upstairs, extending my senses.

_There._

Rubbery and gritty and earthy and muffled with a dash of green signaled to me his location but there was another...it was hard, sharp, icy and high-pitched with a flare of indigo all throughout.

Frowning a bit, I leaned on the wall just beside the door and listened in.

"–my price is fixed," an unfamiliar voice spoke roughly, "And the deadline is two months…"

The man trailed off in a vaguely threatening manner as a younger but familiar voice whispered,

"I understand, Sensei, just," his voice hitched with fear, "Just save him, _please_."

My eyes narrowed in displeasure.

"I will keep him alive," the older man spoke after a beat of silence, "And I will cure him wholly once I receive my full payment of–"

I bit the inside of my cheek out of shock at the outrageous price.

"–so do work hard…"

A flash of anger burned in my guts as I dug my nails into my arms before stomping the feeling out.

_Find out what's going on first, _I reminded myself,_ Then you can go do something stupid._

"I will, thank you…"

Disappearing into the shadows, I watched as the door slid open to reveal a man in his fifties or so with silver hair tied into a topknot and red eyes narrowed in a permanent glare. He wasn't all that tall, standing at about 170 centimeters, but his build was solid and his gait bespoke of skill as a hunter. His modest garbs denoted him as a practitioner of medicine though.

_Who,_ I wondered with narrowed eyes, _Are you exactly?_

His footsteps disappeared downstairs and his chakra was growing distant from the pub and, as tempted as I was to investigate him, I remained stationary for a moment as foreign anxiety brushed against my senses and uncloaked myself before stepping into the bedroom.

"Fukuro," I greeted shortly.

The 32-year-old man jumped and whirled around with wide eyes, clutching at his chest, before he scowled halfheartedly at me and slumped to the floor with a snort.

"You," he grumped without much energy, "I take it you got my message?"

I flicked the scroll out of my travel-pack and threw it to him with a single question:

"What is going on?"

The black-haired male said nothing as he unrolled the scroll and shredded it with his bare hands, knowing that I'd already memorized it. He then tossed the remains into the clay pot of smoldering flames, watching as it burned to ashes. Finally, he turned to me with somber eyes.

"Kira, I," his voice faltered and his lips trembled as if wanting to cry out but his pride prevented that and he continued gruffly, "It's Tsukasa."

I stiffened as the image of that sprightly boy with his untamable locks and bright eyes flashed across my mind's eye.

"He…He's sick," Fukuro continued, looking like he just swallowed a bucketful of sour lemons, "You know, right, of that infectious disease?"

His dark brown eyes met mine as he whispered hollowly,

"Smallpox."

I couldn't suppress the low hiss that escaped my lips nor could I stop the feeling of dread (_no…not again…!_), resentment (_why must it be him?!_) and utter despondency (_will I lose another loved one…?_) from welling up within me.

The taste of iron told me that I'd bitten down too hard on my lower lip and I raised a cold hand to wipe away the dribble of blood as my chakra automatically healed the cut.

"That doctor," I spoke after taking a moment to control my urges, "He said he could cure him. How?"

Fukuro wasn't surprised that I knew and his face lightened a bit with desperate hope.

"That man, Yuuya-sensei," he spoke a bit quickly, "I'd seen it. He did something odd with his hands and healed Ichiro's kid, from the next town over, of her smallpox–!"

My eyes widened in shock.

_There's a cure?!_

I wanted to say that it was impossible, that the vaccine for smallpox didn't appear for another four centuries or so, that the red plague wouldn't be eradicated until then, but–

_This is _not_ my world._

–this was another dimension that centered around slightly different laws and so nothing would turn out the same way as Before.

Still, something in me grew cold at the thought of there being a cure _now_.

_Why couldn't it have appeared _then_…?_

But I swiftly kicked that thought out of mind.

_The past is done and over with, Kira… _

Gripping my arms tightly, I asked in a clipped tone, "How much does that mission pay?"

_…so focus on the now._

There was a hint of steel in his eyes but he still looked relieved and answered, "Everything plus a bit more."

_"I'll pay you back one day,"_ I could almost hear him say, _"I swear this to you, my friend."_

Nodding simply, I immersed myself in the surrounding shadows as a means of transportation and he whispered,

"Thank you, Kira…"

A blink later and I found myself under the shade of a nearby tree as soft titters echoed in my mind.

_Mama… _

My hands clenched into fists.

_I won't fail…_

Not this time.

* * *

"Tch…"

Staring at the less-than-detailed image spread out before me, I could feel my temple throb in annoyance as I tried to plot out my preferred path.

_If only I were more directionally-savvy… _

Unfortunately for me, that peculiarity of mine somehow carried over from Before so I had a tendency to get lost unless I'd familiarized myself with the terrain already.

A familiar screech dragged me out of my thoughts and I tilted my head back with a raised hand to block the sunlight from my eyes, smiling upon seeing Shunko circle around once before she spiraled down to me.

I dropped my hand to pick up a piece of rabbit as she landed on my shoulder and snapped up the treat eagerly.

"So," I spoke as I lifted the map up and shook it once, "Where are they?"

A wing stretched out and the tip of a feather brushed against five spots on the scroll, making me grin in delight and circle the areas with a piece of graphite.

"Will they be moving out anytime soon?" I asked and she cocked her head to the side in thought before clicking her beak twice, "Good girl."

Puffing out her chest, she looked particularly prideful and her eyes glinted before–

"Oi!"

–she took off with my last piece of sashimi, leaving me to gape at her distancing form.

_…Oh well._

Sighing softly, I propped my cheek against my knuckles and returned my attention to the now-marked map with a critical eye and a deep frown.

_They're spread pretty far out._

Distance-wise, Tokugawa's base was closest to my current position with Takeda's (where Sanada resided) off to the southeast and Date's was even farther east.

However, both Chosokabe and Mori were on the other side of Japan: the former to the southwest and the latter to the northwest.

_I suppose I can make my way from west to east, which means… _

A chill ran down my spine.

_From the safety of the shadows, I watched stonily as light glinted off of the two blades upon fusing into a ring._

_Thumps signaled the fall of bodies._

_"How foolish," the male clad in green spoke detachedly, "Mere peons can never hope to defeat me for I am blessed by the Great Sun."_

Quickly shaking my head of that memory, I mentally cursed the one who had thought up of this mission.

_If it weren't for Tsukasa… _

I closed my eyes.

_…I need to get started._

Standing up, I looked over the map once more to commit my destination to memory before I rolled it up and stashed it into my satchel in exchange for my compass.

_Motonari Mori… _

He was a young daimyo whose intelligence marked him as a genius and whose only concern is victory for himself even at the expense of his own people.

_…This will be fun._

I smiled wryly, cracking my neck and rolling my shoulders to ease my tension.

_Let's hope that I get a good run… _

Pushing off of the balls of my feet, I relished in the way that the wind blew against my face and tousled my hair like playful sprites before stepping on a branch of another tree and taking off to the northwest.

_…otherwise I'm just hastening my demise._

Two days later, I arrived at the grand Takamatsu Castle of Sanyo, gazing at how it seemed to glow under the sun beside the shore of Inland Sea.

_Time to play._

* * *

**GN: **Just to clarify, the beginning of each chapter from now on will have a flashback or summary of the past. Also, the Japanese used in this chapter is entirely the work of _Google Translate_ so I don't doubt that there are some mistakes there. Regardless, I won't be including anymore as that was just a way to show that Kira didn't understand the language at first.

Many thanks for **_fanfiction2010_** for being the first to subscribe to this and to anyone else who's giving this a try. I do hope that you'll enjoy the rest of it. :)

**Disclaimer: **_Sengoku Basara_ © Capcom; Kira, Fukuro, Tsukasa, Yuuya-sensei, _Yoippari_, "Mama" and all other original concepts © me


	3. 02: Child of the Sun

**_Surviving Death_**

* * *

Okay…

_I stared blearily up at what I thought was the cream-colored ceiling of the nursery._

Now what?

_I'd heard theories on what came after death (heaven, hell, reincarnation, limbo, haunting the living) but I'd never truly believed in any of them except for the fact that I would be _dead_. But now that I was in such a situation, I wondered if I'd been reincarnated perhaps but I was wary about putting all of my eggs into that basket. If anything, I was contemplating on whether or not I'd finally snapped from all of the atrocities that I'd witnessed, that I'd experienced, that I'd _committed_._

What should I do…? What do I do…? What will I do…?

_There were too many questions that had no true answer. _

What _can_ I do?

_I was a baby, weak and dependent on my mother (_I can't believe I have a _Mama_ again…!_) and others, and I could do nothing but be waited on until my body matured._

What to do…?

_Thinking on it until that pain in my head grew too great, I found myself left with only one course of action:_

Do what I can and move on.

_It was the philosophy that I'd followed Before when I'd hit rockbottom and had no direction to follow. And it was this that I clung to desperately as I adjusted to my new life… _

_For the first year or so, whenever I wasn't asleep as babies were prone to do, I attempted to stimulate my adult mind by deciphering the words spoken around me._

_"Good morning…breakfast…go out…another time then."_

_It was a terribly long and difficult process even if I'd known certain words and phrases and, for a long while, I'd wondered if I would never be able to understand Japanese._

What if they think I'm retarded?

_It was a scary thought._

Would I be abandoned…? Maybe imprisoned when I grow older? Or perhaps even _killed_?

_Needless to say, I didn't want any of that._

_But I was already labeled as the "problem child" mere hours after worrying about rejection._

…What the…?

_There was something warm, something cold, something _foreign_ growing within me. _

What…is that…?!

_And I'd _panicked_._

Get it out…! Getitoutgetitout_getitout_!

_Instinctively, I began crying, whining, whimpering as I scratched futilely at my stomach in an attempt to _get it out_._

_For the first few days, my mother had been able to calm me whenever I fussed about whatever was _inside_ me but my behavior soon _escalated_. Whatever was inside of me was also all _around_ me. From the earth to the people to the trees to the animals to the very air that I breathed, that _something_ was always there._

_And I was _terrified_ of it._

The oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.*

_Oftentimes, I'd feel suffocated by it. (Like enhanced gravity, it pushed down on me.) Oftentimes, I'd feel as if I were drowning. (Like water, it filled my lungs.) Oftentimes, I'd feel _despair_ as if I were dying. (_Again_.)_

_Those months passed like a constant nightmare… _

_…but you can only live so long in fear before it completely exhausts you._

_And it was at that point that I'd realized what it could have been, what it must have been, what it truly _is_: _chakra.

_Chakra was a form of energy that could be utilized with awareness and training._

_Perhaps it was because I'd retain memories of Before or perhaps it was simply the way my new body was wired but, either way, I was _hypersensitive_ to it._

_Hence why it affected me so much._

_After that realization, I began devoting any time when I was alone to controlling my chakra. _

_To my surprise, it was much easier than I'd anticipated. This, as I later found, was because my chakra was simply a part of me: it acted much like an arm or a leg or another limb. Thus, the more I trained it, the greater my chakra control. However, given my meager chakra reserve, I was only able to direct it within my body rather than outside of it at first._

_Regardless, using chakra was something _new_ to me and so I was utterly fascinated with it, especially in _sensing_ it._

_Chakra was unique to every individual (in the future, I'd find that this also applied to the _environment_…to a degree anyway) and was thus distinguishable from one another: the nonliving seemed muted in comparison to the living, humans seemed so much louder in comparison to other species, etc._

_If I had to explain it, then sensing chakra was like…like synesthesia, I suppose. Granted, I'd never had that condition Before so I may be mistaken but, whenever I sensed chakra, it was like using all of my senses at once plus _more_._

Mama smelt of plum blossom and tasted sweet and felt tingly and sounded like a bell and was white with a hint of _something_ that just spoke of her being _Mama_.

_To try and explain it "properly" would be a fruitless endeavor as it was just one of those things that you had to experience to understand._

_Thinking back on it, when I'd first started training myself, I'd often ended up feeling so overwhelmed that I would faint unless I blocked everything but the chakra out. It was quite pathetic of me, without a doubt. And I remember how frantic Mama became, thinking that I had some sort of deadly condition or that I was comatose. _

_(Even now guilt plucked at my heart.)_

_And the doctor never could figure out what was going on and ended up declaring,_

_"Cursed child, I pity you."_

* * *

**02: Child of the Sun**

* * *

_Cautious._

That was the only word I could associate with the green-clad warlord that wasn't negative in connotation or definition.

If anything, it was actually a positive trait because it meant that one's chance of survival was greatly improved in comparison to the reckless.

Still, I was more tempted to call him _paranoid_.

With a hand on his blade and a deceptively relaxed poise, the young man was always watching with his dark, sharp eyes. He was always keeping track of not only his surroundings but also the people around him. From innocuous babies to common villagers to his closest aides, he gazed at each and every one as being _inferior_ to him.

And he trusted _no one_.

_How sad… _

The way that he kept everyone at arm's length, the way that he treated everyone as a potential enemy, it was a wonder that he still kept his wits about him and wasn't completely insane with loneliness.

_Then again, that's debatable._

Mori was extremely antisocial and lacked any visible form of consciousness, that is _empathy_, for other people and, though I was generalizing quite a bit, those traits were indicative of one thing: sociopathy. But I was getting into a field that I held little more than the most basic knowledge of so I put that thought aside to concentrate on my mission.

Currently, I was positioned on the rooftop of the nearest building, which happened to be a tailor shop, and frowning as I witnessed him cut down a young woman for attempting to stab him in the back.

Literally.

The hidden dagger fell from her hand as she collapsed and gurgled through the wound in her throat, no doubt trying to curse the apathetic man before her if her wild eyes and hate-filled chakra were anything to go by.

_"How could you?!" she screamed, swinging the metal pipe, "Give him back… Give him back…!"_

_Tears trailed from her eyes and I wanted to look away but that would mean leaving myself open for attack so I tightened my grip on my knife instead, parrying her sloppy downward-slash and slamming the blade through the back of her head where her reticular formation lied._

_She crumpled without another sound but still her voice echoed in my mind… _

_"Monster."_

_…as those accusing eyes continued to burn me long after I was gone._

"Take it away."

That cold voice, amplified by my chakra-enhanced hearing, roused me from my memories of Before and I bit the inside of my cheek in disapproval.

_Stop daydreaming, Kira, or else you'll get killed._

A more distant part of my mind cried against the way that Mori objectified the assassin, denying her humanity, and yet another part could care less.

_My mission only concerns his ring blade._

I quashed that faint guilt (_I'm sorry for not stepping in…_) and minute sorrow (_Where did my morality go…?_) that tugged at my heart.

_All else is relative._

Because _Tsukasa's life_ was on the line and he was most important to me right now.

_Focus… _

Time passed until it was my second night on Mori territory and I was shadowing the old maid who acted as the warlord's primary household servant.

Through her, I cemented my knowledge of the castle's layout before I broke away from her routine when she entered her room to rest for the night.

Instead, I spread out my senses and heightened my awareness, noting where the guards were and how they moved on that particular night, as I ghosted from shadow to shadow until I reached my target's current location.

I resisted the urge to sigh at the sight.

The moon was soon approaching its apex but Mori was still wide awake as he looked over several maps, likely plotting which steps to take in the future.

_Layered, _I couldn't help but notice as I caught a glimpse of his work, _He's got contingent plans for contingent plans for contingent plans… _

And that made him a severely dangerous man to cross.

_I won't be able to win against him in a straight fight._

Motonari Mori was, without a doubt, a tactical genius and a skilled warrior so I would be outclassed, outmaneuvered and out_lived_ in nearly every situation.

_But I'm not looking for a fight._

My objective was his signature weapon.

_If I could just get it out of his reach, then I'd be home free._

The shadows that surrounded me were my weapon, my defense and my _escape_–they were my trump card in essence.

All I needed to do was wait for a chance to snag the ring blade.

_Easier said than done._

The Lord of Chuugoku had his weapon within a split-second's reach and I wasn't arrogant enough to think that I would be able to one-up him just because I was able to sneak into his fortress without a problem.

Slipping a hand into my satchel, I quietly rummaged through it until I felt the "羊" engraving that I was looking for and pulled out the Sheep, which was a bomb filled with sleeping gas potent enough to knock out a grown man for an hour.

Normally, I would use a knock-out tag as I could easily replicate them but such a seal required me to physically place it on my target and, unfortunately, Mori wasn't an opponent that I could overcome without lots of luck.

And Lady Luck was rarely with me, if ever.

Calculating the volume of the room, I found that only two Sheep were necessary to cover the entire area but I decided to add a third just in case and primed two of them to go off at the same time while the last would explode ten seconds after that.

With the help of the shadows, I placed one under the table where he was working at, another in the corner nearest to him and the third under the window before using my chakra as a gas mask and counting down.

_Four…three…two…one..._

There was a soft pop as the first two Sheep went off and I saw his eyes widened in alarm (the first emotion I'd ever seen on his face) before he covered his mouth and nose with one hand and grabbed his ring blade with the other but I could already see him swaying in the obscurity of the gray smoke and I heard the clattering of metal against the mat-covered floor just as the third Sheep went off and threw another layer of smoke over the existing one.

Slipping from one shadow to the next, I appeared beside the weapon on the other side of its wielder and grabbed it, grimacing at its weight before bolstering my muscular strength.

_Thank goodness for chakra… _

Slinging it over my shoulder, I turned to disappear back into the darkness when my eyes caught sight of those plans again.

_This is… _

The map displayed several arrows and symbols that I couldn't quite understand but they were all centered around Nagashino.

_…an attack on Takeda territory?_

Biting the inside of my cheek, I dawdled in hesitation, wondering if I should copy down the information and leave it somewhere for his ninjas to find before deciding.

_I may not be one of his men but… _

Pulling out an inked tag, I pressed it against the marked part of the scroll. My chakra flared a bit and the seal glowed briefly before I took it off. Looking at the back, I saw a copy of the information imprinted on the paper.

_…with this, my debt is repaid._

Nodding to myself, I placed the intel into my satchel and quickly dived into the shadows when I felt Mori's chakra stir as a prelude to his awakening.

_Tch, already wearing off, huh… _

It was annoying but, given the green lord's paranoia, I should've guessed that he'd build up his body's resistant to drugs and the likes.

_…no matter._

I was sure that, by the time he composed himself and remembered what had happened, I would be long gone.

Sending out a wave of my chakra, I searched for the seal that I'd placed several kilometers away from Mori's stronghold and felt it resonate after two seconds before latching onto the location.

_Safe…_

Pulling myself out of the shadows, I released the chakra-bubble around my nose and mouth and panted a bit heavily. The night air tasted almost delicious, which was unsurprising considering that I'd been breathing recycled air. As useful as it was, I wouldn't be using it again anytime soon if I could help it.

My heart calmed and I lifted the ring blade off of my shoulder to rest against the tree trunk before reaching around and pulling the tag out of the knothole.

This particular seal had been inspired by the _Hiraishin no Jutsu_, also known as the Flying Thunder God Technique, the very one that had given Minato Namikaze his moniker as _Konoha no Kiiroi Senkou_, Konoha's Yellow Flash, in _Naruto_.

Of course, mine was a watered down version of it that needed to be within five kilometers of the user, had a small radius of three meters and required the user's knowledge of _exactly_ where it was placed.

Thankfully, my hypersensitivity to chakra made the last requirement easy.

Placing the tag away, I rummaged through my bag and paused when I came across the paper of copied information.

_How should I send this?_

Frowning a bit, I bumped my head against the tree trunk in thought when a familiar chakra–raspberry, red, smoky, ticklish, humming–brushed against my senses.

Surprised, I stood up and peeked through the leaves to see Shunko circling overhead.

Her keen eyes must've caught sight of me because she soon spiraled down in my direction and landed on a nearby branch, clicking her beak in greeting.

"And what on earth are you doing here?" I asked with a hint of exasperation, "Shouldn't you be asleep by now?"

Hawks were diurnal creatures after all.

She turned her beak up at me and clucked in a rather arrogant manner before pinning her eyes on the information held in my hand.

"Don't tell me," I sighed after pursing my lips, "You want to act as bait."

Her wing whacked me over the head for using that term but she stuck out a claw regardless.

Biting the inside of my cheek, I wondered if that was really a good idea but she refused to let me hesitate and grabbed the tag before abruptly taking off.

_Stupid–!_ I cursed incoherently for a moment before slumping down and ruffling my bangs, _…I suppose a hawk flying at night would certainly catch some attention._

Still, I didn't like placing her in direct danger, especially since I wasn't sure if Takeda's ninjas would shoot her down but going after her now would only serve to irk her and I'd rather not feel the wrath of her claws.

Instead, I resumed what I'd been doing before and pulled out a scroll, opening it to reveal an incomplete storage seal.

Placing the weapon on top of it and running through three hand-signs, I slammed my palm against the blank center and the ring blade disappeared in a poof of dissipating smoke before "武器" appeared where it had been a space before.

"Done," I sighed softly before falling onto my behind, "That's one down…"

_…and four more to go._

Narrowing my eyes, I clenched my fists and gazed up at the silver moon, silently calculating,

_Twenty-six days remain._

* * *

*"The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown." – H.P. Lovecraft, _Supernatural Horror in Literature_

* * *

**GN:** Thank you to everyone who's still reading this as well as to _**Anime****.art. sisters**_ for subscribing! I hope all of you are still enjoying it. :)

**Disclaimer:** _Sengoku Basara_ © Capcom; _Naruto_ © Masashi Kishimoto; Kira and all other original concepts © me


	4. 03: Western Sea Demon

**_Surviving Death_**

* * *

In…

_I breathed deeply–_

Out…

_–before exhaling slowly._

_The colors before my eyes, the buzzing in my ears, the scent in my nose, the taste on my tongue, the shivers along my skin and the emotions resonating from within began to fade away._

_First to go was the white, high-pitched, smoky, watery, wistful atmosphere._

_Next was the brown, gentle, moist, spicy, warm, calm forest that surrounded me._

_Then, I began to filter out the critters scampering across the soft ground, the birds flying through the open air, the herd of deer farther in, the pack of wolves off in the distance…_

_What had once preoccupied my senses so prevalently was now pushed into the background._

_White, tinging, plum blossom, sweet, tingly and anxious brushed against me and I opened my eyes to look up and smile at her worried face, greeting lightly,_

_"Good evening, Mama. Are ya done for the night?"_

_Immediately, her brow smoothed out as she smiled back and knelt gracefully beside me, speaking softly, "I am, Ki-chan. Were you…meditating?"_

_I nodded and she relaxed, murmuring, "I'm glad… It really seems to help with your constitution." And then she paused, hesitating and looking greatly conflicted, but not speaking._

_Confused, I nudged her knee and tilted my head in silent question._

_For a moment, she didn't respond before she lifted a hand and caressed my cheek._

_"Kira, I…" she trailed off and I was alarmed to find her chakra jumping from nervous to distressed._

_Feeling concerned, I got to my knees and held her hands, whispering, "What's wrong, Mama…?"_

_She bit her lower lip and looked away and suddenly I was afraid as I wondered,_

_"Are you going away?"_

_Her eyes widened before she abruptly shook her head and I was relieved at the negative before asking, "If it's not that, then what's wrong?"_

_Another moment of silence passed as she rubbed my knuckles with her thumb, more to soothe herself than to assure me, before she finally mumbled,_

_"Kira, do you… Do you hate me…?"_

_I blinked, taken aback by her question, and she quickly explained, "That is, I…I-I'm not the best role model considering my…profession."_

_The meaning behind that word made her look away and her lips pursed as if she'd swallowed a particularly sour lemon and my heart tugged uncomfortably._

_"…Why do you ask?" I returned her query with my own._

_Her brows furrowed as she looked exasperated with my evasion and seemed to fight with herself for a moment or two before sighing, "It's just…for a few weeks now, you seemed…_distant_…up until a few days ago…"_

_And I paused in thought before tensing in remembrance._

Having learnt to traverse on my own, I padded quietly down the hall, ducking and dodging the random men that came and went from my home, in search of Mama.

She was working, I knew, but I wanted to show her the neat trick that I'd been taught by one of the ladies a while ago.

Besides, Iisaka said that it was fine.

That familiar tinging, white, sweet, shivering, scent of plum blossoms brushed against my senses and I perked up, honing in on her chakra before pausing just down the hall of where she was when I felt an unfamiliar coldness that was simultaneously hot emanating from her.

Biting the inside of my cheek, I hesitated.

She didn't feel like she was afraid or angry but rather…restless?

Tiptoeing closer, I crouched in the shadows and enhanced my hearing before freezing when I heard the low rumbling voice of an unknown man and my mother sounding like some airhead high on crack.

"Shall we move onto the main course," she purred, "Or would you like some more appetizers?"

And I froze as I finally took in the man's signature, feeling sick as I felt that burning and oily spark burst forth, and heard her giggle in that ridiculous way before–

"Oh, there you are, Kira-chan."

–I whirled around with wide eyes to see Iisaka standing before me.

"I was wondering where you were," she continued and gestured to the tray of food held in her hands, "Lunchtime's just about over but you weren't in the…"

She trailed off as a particularly loud laugh was heard through the door and realization dawned in her eyes before she grimaced with a regretful frown.

Balancing the tray on one hand, she rested her other hand on my shoulder and steered me away, speaking softly,

"I'm sorry, Kira-chan. I'd thought that she would be done by now…"

_Two and a half weeks ago, I found out that Mama was an entertainer for male visitors._

_Or, more bluntly stated, she was a _prostitute_._

_As was Iisaka, whom I thought of as my older sister, along with all of those other women whom I thought of as my aunts or cousins or _family_ in some way or shape._

_And my home? The place where I'd been born and raised? _

_It was a _brothel_._

_I'd felt so ashamed of it all that I ended up running away like a _coward_. Instead of confronting her, I'd chosen to stay on the outskirts of the forest to the north of town, fishing and gathering berries for food while sleeping in treetops, with nothing other than the clothes on my back. Had it not been for the summer season, then I would have had a much harder time staying there._

_Regardless, the time I'd spent in the wilderness did help me calm down. Mostly because I threw all of my frustrations and feelings of hurt into surviving. And that was when I realized._

This is how we've lived.

_Had it not been for her doing what she did, then where would we be…?_

Nowhere,_ was what I concluded._

_Hell, I may not have even been (re)born had it not been for her lifestyle. And it wasn't as if she or the others were abusive or malicious or forcing me into following in their footsteps. If anything, they were just like any other family (albeit one with less than glamorous work): warm, loving, slightly dysfunctional…_

_Thus, I returned._

_Lifting my eyes to look at her seriously, I answered, "I don't hate you."_

_She looked skeptical._

_"I don't hate Iisaka-nee either. Or Tomoka-nee. Or Chacha-nee. Or Okaa-sama. Or any of the others," I continued and squeezed her hands in reassurance, "I don't like the way all of ya have to do this to make money but…I think I can understand why."_

_Her eyes shined and I smiled, reaching out to brush away a stray tear, before she wrapped her arms around me and pulled me close._

_"Thank you, Ki-chan," she whispered into my hair, "Thank you for not hating me… Thank you for being my daughter, my child, my _light_…"_

_A familiar burning sensation filled my nose but I stubbornly refused to cry as I returned her embrace and whispered,_

_"Thank _you_ for giving birth to me, Mama."_

* * *

**03: Western Sea Demon**

* * *

"…ugh…"

Abruptly pressing a palm against my lips to muffle that groan, I tried to ignore the rocking movement as I cursed yet another trait of mine that had carried over from Before.

_Thy name is motion sickness… _

…and it was the bane of my existence.

My stomach churned uncomfortably as the back of my throat tasted a bit bitter.

_Damnable boat,_ I thought irritably after swallowing the urge to vomit, _And why the hell did my target have to belong to a fucking _pirate_?!_

The "fucking pirate" referred to Motochika Chosokabe, Lord of Shikoku, who commanded a rather advanced ship known as _Fugaku_, which also doubled as a tank and was essentially a self-moving killing machine.

_…I want to go home… _

But I couldn't, not when I needed to get that anchor spear of his.

_…woe is me… _

Resting my head against the soaked wall, I couldn't help but groan aloud and the sound was drowned out by the roaring waves.

_I just _had_ to choose the one time Poseidon's pissed off, didn't I…?_

Not that I really believed in the Greek god of the sea and earthquakes but I guess that anything was possible now…

Daydreams aside, I briefly wondered if my face held a tinge of green to it as I squinted to look through the pelting rain at my objective.

Thunder cracked loudly as lightening flashed across the dark sky, briefly lighting up the waterlogged _Fugaku_ but thankfully darkening the area where I hid.

"Alright, you bastards!" the purple-clad warlord shouted over the howling storm, "Hard to port!"

A surprisingly loud though indistinct cheer answered him and I braced myself against the wall, using chakra to enforce my grip, as the ship rocked even more before–

_Holy sh–!_

–the waves threw us up and there was a loud bang from the back before we_ sailed through the air_, forcing me to cling even tighter to my support as I couldn't help but think,

_They _so_ stole that from _One Piece_._

Never mind the fact that no one in this dimension knew what that was.

About 50 meters away from shore, _Fugaku_ landed heavily enough to send water flying up into the air and crashing down onto the deck.

I was displeased to find myself smelling and tasting salt.

But, being the good girl I was, I didn't bother voicing my complaints and instead contented myself with imagining a bolt of lightening striking the ship and miraculously missing me at the same time and knocking everyone out so that I could retrieve the anchor spear and leave without any trouble at all.

It was a childish thought, perhaps, but also oddly satisfying.

And then _Fugaku_ went over something.

Feeling my body practically vibrate from the rough motion, I snapped out of my juvenile ideas and gawked upon seeing the ship transform into its tank form and drive across the sand without a problem before shaking my head in disbelief.

_This is definitely _not_ the Sengoku era from World History class… _

Because, seriously, technology wasn't _this_ advanced Before from the middle-15th to early-17th centuries.

_So why do I still compare the two…?_

The evidence constantly proved that this world was different from the world of my other (_I still hesitate to call_) life.

_Why do I still use those false grounds…?_

And sometimes I would wonder…

_…why am I here when I so clearly _do not belong_?_

But those were dangerous thoughts that should be treaded on lightly unless I wanted to drown myself in depression and self-pity.

_Focus, Kira._

Now that we were on land and traveling relatively smoothly, I felt my nausea ease up and took the time to eye the polearm that rested against its owner's shoulder before rubbing my forehead in frustration.

_So that's how it's gonna be, huh… _

Chosokabe wasn't about to give up his weapon and I really shouldn't expect anything less.

(Subconsciously, I patted the tanto that rested against my lower back and near my right hip.)

_…better get ready started then._

Resisting the urge to sigh, I watched as the captain ordered his men to either clean up the place, take note of what supplies needed to be bought or change directions along with several commands that I couldn't quite make out over the rabble.

Footsteps were approaching in my direction and I quietly slipped into a dark corner of the area, cloaking my presence instinctively.

_O' chakra, how I love thee…_

A seaman ambled by, twisting the water out of his bandanna and whistling a jaunty tune.

_Hm… Should I…?_

It wouldn't be too difficult to copy his appearance with a simple _Henge_ but…

_I suck at acting._

Wrinkling my nose in thought, I debated for a moment before finally shaking my head and tossing the idea out of mind.

_I'll figure out another way… _

But that still begged the question:

_What other way is there…?_

It was a little depressing to know that I wasn't a very creative person when it came to tactics and I was highly tempted to grow mushrooms in my little corner when–

"Listen up, you sons of bitches!"

–Chosokabe easily captured everyone's attention with a single shout as the ship-turned-tank suddenly stopped in its track.

With one foot resting against the bow, he grinned rather cheekily and raised a fist, shouting,

"Break out the mugs! We're gonna have a hell of a time tonight!"

"ANIKI!" came the uproarious chorus.

_…ow… _

Ignoring the way that the crew bustled about in a variety of actions, I rubbed furiously at my ears in an attempt to stop the ringing.

_…someone save me from these brutes… _

After what felt like ages, I finally got my sense of hearing to work properly and slunk out of the shadows in order to conserve my dwindling energy.

_Now let's see… _

Glancing about from my hiding spot, I was confused to see that most of them were drunker than drunk with quite a few already passed out on the deck.

_That was fast…?_

But then I glanced up at the sky and realized that more time had passed than I'd initially thought if the fading moon was any indication.

_Oy vey, I really need to stop zoning out… _

Pinching myself, I flinched as the pain snapped me to attention before sneaking a peek around the ship again and deadpanning at the sight.

_How the hell is he still sober?_

There was a multitude of kegs surrounding him and he was _still_ drinking away.

_Should I be jealous of his tolerance level…?_

I couldn't decide so I pushed that random thought to the back of my mind and focused on how to acquire his anchor spear.

_…Well, if it ain't broke, then don't fix it, _I recalled that quote as I rummaged through my satchel and pulled out a container with "羊" engraved in the cap, _In this case, if the plan has yet to fail, then just stick with it._

Popping open the small case, I tapped it against my palm until a small blue pill fell out–it was a consumable version of the Sheep–and closed the container, slipping it back into my bag.

I looked around in hopes of finding somewhere to drop it in before my eyes lit up upon landing on the man staggering towards my direction.

Sinking into the shadows, I waited as he passed me to enter the storage room and waited until he passed me again.

_Too much would be disastrous so… _

Like a ninja, I crushed and dropped a quarter of the sedative into the keg of beer that he was carrying and slipped back into the darkness.

_…plus alcohol and…voila._

Mere moments later, everyone was utterly _wasted_.

And, had it not been for their moving chests, they would've appeared dead…

I shook that eerie observation off and carefully monitored the purple lord's chakra as I tiptoed over to him.

All was calm.

_Perhaps Lady Luck _is_ on my side, _I thought with a wry smile as I sealed the anchor spear away before frowning a bit, _Best not to get complacent though._

That would be a one-way ticket to failure.

_I doubt this plan will work a third time so…to the drawing board then._

Casting one last glance at the snoring crew, I slipped off of _Fugaku_ and began making my way eastward.

_Twenty-three days remain._

* * *

**GN:** Once again, I thank everyone who's still reading this and I hope that you're all enjoying it. :) There's not much to say aside from the fact that I should be working my my papers instead of this but... Oh well. *shrugs*

**Disclaimer:** _Sengoku Basara_ © Capcom; _Naruto_ © Masashi Kishimoto; Kira and all other original concepts © me


	5. 04: He of Golden Will

**_Surviving Death_**

* * *

_Chakra was alluring._

_More so because of my hypersensitivity and using it simply felt extraordinarily _empowering_._

_At times, I'd feel as if I could take on the world and still come out on top because it felt like _nothing_ could take me down. It was like a rush of adrenaline and I felt drunk by it all. My head would swim with that intoxicating feeling and nausea would churn in my stomach and I always, _always_ wanted _more_._

_Chakra was _dangerous_._

_Especially because I was experimenting with it, playing off of the basics that may not even be _basic_._

_And I was starved for something, _anything_, to do._

_I became too comfortable with my newfound control and, one day, I'd foolishly tapped into natural energy…_

_"KIRA!"_

_The terror in her voice snapped me out of my experimentation and I felt sick and confused by the look of horror on her face, wondering why she gazed at me in the manner that she did…_

_…until I _felt_ it._

_There was a prickling sensation upon my back and a disturbing warmth that trailed down to my hips as the stench of iron tickled my nose._

_Terrified, I froze even as Mama fluttered about me, shouting for someone to call the doctor._

I'm such an idiot.

_My chest felt heavy, breathing was painful, my eyes burned and everything was blurring together._

I shouldn't have messed with it.

_At some point, I blacked out._

_When I came to, I found myself lying on my stomach with my torso wrapped up tightly and under the doctor's scrutiny. He looked fascinated. He looked pitying. He looked _disgusted_. It was the look that was often casted to those who were disfigured, mutated, just plain _strange_ to look at. To him, I was some exotic creature to be studied._

_My mother was kneeling beside me, clutching my hand tightly, with a desperate look on her face, asking, "Why, sensei? Why is this happening to her…?!"_

_The doctor glanced distractedly at her before returning his gaze to me and then looking at something in the bowl that he held._

_Apprehension churned in my stomach and I pushed myself up, ignoring the way Mama fussed over me and turning to look at him. His lips twitched and he leaned away a bit before pausing and placing the container down._

Blood, _I'd immediately recognized before furrowing my brows in confusion, _And…feathers…?

_The vanes were dark, ebony-colored, that faded into a latte-brown nearest the calamus and the white down feathers were stained red._

_"Why…?" I started to ask but froze as his eyes pinned me like a cat would a mouse._

_"You," he spoke lowly and almost hypnotically, "You truly are a cursed child…"_

_The back of my neck ruffled (_…?_) and my jaw tightened._

_"Pitiable," came his hissing whisper, "Truly a pitiable excuse for a human–"_

_"ENOUGH!"_

_I jumped and cloth covered my vision as I was pulled into my mother's arms._

_"She's_ not_ cursed," Mama shrieked with fury clearly evident in her voice, "She's _not_. She _my_ daughter, _my_ child, _my light_…!"_

_Stunned, I couldn't even flinch when her embrace tightened noticeably as the doctor scoffed and wiped his hands on a wet towel._

_"Believe what you will," he said coldly as he packed up his tools and stood up, "But know this fact," even covered I could feel his intense stare and shivered, "No _human_ would have _feathers_ upon her back."_

I…feathers…my…?

_Vaguely, I noticed my mother stiffen and shout something else at him but my mind was fixated on what he'd just said._

I have…feathers on…my back…?

_Reaching a hand behind, I ran my fingers over my bandages but I couldn't feel anything. Clenching my teeth, I breathed shakily and moved upwards before freezing. It was soft, smooth, distinctly _feather_-like. And it was then that I remembered from _Naruto_._

_Unless properly trained, natural energy starts _transformingyou_._

If I'd continued,_ some part that wasn't preoccupied with my new addition wondered, _Would I have become a statue?

Or would I have died?

(Again.)

_"Ki-chan…"_

_Her soft hands brushed against my cheeks and it was only then that I noticed I was crying and trembling and whimpering softly._

_"Mama, I…" my voice faltered and I was quickly wrapped in her warm embrace once more but all I could do was choke on feardespair_frustration_, "I-I…!"_

_Her grip tightened and I buried my face into her shoulder, sobbing._

…I'm a monster…

* * *

**04: He of Golden Will**

* * *

"HYA!"

The young male, no longer a child but not quite a man yet, twisted, turned and stabbed his way across the field with his double-bladed spear, fighting off some imaginary opponent.

_This…is gonna take a while, huh…_

Sweating, I sighed at the sight before tilting my head from shoulder to shoulder to crack my neck and loosen my tense muscles.

_How long has he been at it again…?_

I tilted my head back and squinted through the treetop at the sun that shined brightly overhead, quietly calculating the time before sighing yet again.

_Four hours, huh… _

As much as I admired those who train seriously, I was starting to get a little irritated because it felt like I was wasting _time_.

Time that I didn't have to waste because Tsukasa was going to _die_ in a month if I didn't finish up and get that money.

"DEI!"

Stabbing the ground, the yellow-clad warlord turned a half-step and flicked his spear as light shined from its blade before the ground burst upwards, throwing dirt everywhere.

A noticeable crater was left in its wake.

_…You really can't judge someone by their looks._

Rubbing the back of my neck and smoothing down my ruffled feathers, I wondered how I'd fare against him in an honorable battle before I concluded,

_Not long at all._

Perhaps I was being too hard on myself, perhaps not.

_Oh well, I'm not here to fight anyway… _

My ears picked up a rumbling sound and I cloaked myself within the shadows as Tokugawa's faithful comrade appeared in all of his robotic glory.

_Tadakatsu Honda,_ I mused as I looked him over, "_Hondam," indeed… _

The Gundam-like fighting machine was unconditionally and unquestionably loyal to Tokugawa and was considered to be an invincible warrior…

…to the point where even _Oda_ did not dare to make an enemy out of him.

_I'd totally get creamed if I were to fight with him._

Even imagining it made me cringe.

"Oh, Tadakatsu," the Lord of Mikawa greeted the giant with an easy smile, "How was your trip?"

Hondam responded _somehow_ and Tokugawa's grin widened as he patted the giant on the arm, laughing, "That's good to hear! The world truly is vast and wonderful…"

Sweating, I deadpanned as the yellow lord held a one-sided conversation with "The Warrior Who Surpassed Death Itself" before palming my forehead and sighing, "Please hurry and let your guard down…"

Alas, my wishes were not to be granted as the two sat on the field, conversing animatedly (if it could be called that), before one particular topic caught my eye.

"It surprised me," Tokugawa was frowning thoughtfully with crossed arms, "I hadn't expected Mori-kou to try and invade Takeda territory since–"

My eyes widened and I tensed.

_Why,_ I couldn't help but wonder, _Would he still invade after having his _stronghold_ broken into?_

Because I hadn't actually expected the vigilant Lord of Chuugoku to go through with his plan, given my theft of his prized (and thus selfishly guarded) weapon, but I'd apparently either underestimated his self-confidence or I'd overestimated his intelligence.

In the former case, Mori might have assumed that his plans were still safe since I hadn't moved the physical map.

In the latter case, he might have simply believed that I was only after his ring blade (which was _technically_ true) and didn't plan for any secondary motivation (which I gained _after_ breaking in).

Either way, it didn't speak well of him.

_Wasn't he supposed to be a genius with contingent plans for contingent plans for contingent plans?_

"–but his ninjas sure are something," Tokugawa continued musing, "I can't imagine how else Shingen-kou could've been so prepared otherwise…"

A distant part of my mind preened in pride.

_…Well, _I scratched my cheek in bemusement, _At least he hasn't mentioned m–_

"In any case, how goes the search for the weapons' thief?"

I froze.

"Still nothing, huh… Chosokabe-kou must be quite upset," the warlord spoke with a sort of awe to his voice, "He'd even gone after Mori-kou and they'd clashed for a bit before calling a temporary truce."

_…Well, fuck._

I rubbed my forehead furiously.

_I just _had_ to jinx myself, didn't I…?_

An unbidden whine left my lips as I thought on this new piece of information before concluding,

_When two rivals join in an alliance, then you know that shit's about to go down._

My stomach clenched in anxiety.

_And lucky me, I'll be right in the middle of it._

I whimpered a bit before smacking myself out of that funk.

_Enough, Kira, calm the _fuck _down._

Taking several deep breaths, I slowed my rapidly pounding heart to its normal rate.

_He said that there's no lead at the moment,_ my thoughts raced, _So I'm safe for now._

But not for long.

As much as I wanted to believe that my chakra skills gave me a great advantage, I knew that there were others who had also learned to control their own, such as the warlords and their retainers, and some were even more skilled than I, such as the ninjas.

Granted, the samurais tend to focus on solely elemental-based techniques but, regardless, they were extraordinarily destructive, especially in comparison to mine.

If I had to label myself, then I'd be a support character…

Maybe.

The feathers on the back of my neck ruffled again in agitation.

_I'm not fighting them,_ I reminded myself, _When it comes to confrontation, I'll just run away._

Was it cowardly?

Perhaps.

But my mission was simply to retrieve certain objects and I wasn't about to put Tsukasa into danger just because I had a bout of recklessness or something.

(A distant part of my mind called bullshit.)

The sound of motor running caused me to look up and I narrowed my eyes upon seeing the two make their way back to Hamamatsu Castle before slipping into the darkness.

_Almost showtime, huh…_

Tokugawa's guard had relaxed upon entering his base but he had yet to part with his weapon.

I shadowed him and stopped just outside of the bathhouse, twitching a bit when he entered it _with_ his double-bladed spear.

_Tch, locked out…_

There was no way in hell I was going to intrude on his private time so I ended up staking out.

_Looks like it's gonna rain, _I thought as I looked at the dark clouds in the distance, _Hopefully I'll be done and out of here by then… _

It would be several more hours before Tokugawa finally parted with his weapon, leaving it in the hands of a servant, as his attention was diverted by his aides.

"The Date army is moving westward to Kawanakajima…"

Filing that piece of information away, I slunk after the young woman as she struggled a bit with the weapon's weight but managed to store it in the armory before leaving to gossip with another servant.

Making sure that my presence was suppressed, I made my way into the room and paused briefly to admire the other weapons.

_How much would I gain if I were to sell them all…?_

But I stomped down that temptation.

_Completing the mission will guarantee surpassing the necessary amount so focus on that._

The armory wasn't well guarded, which was understandable considering that it was inside of the fortress and the castle itself had guards keeping watch, but…

_…all the better for me then._

I was quick to seal the weapon away before feeling someone approach the area and diving into the safety of the shadows.

_Three down, _I thought with a small smile, _Two more to go._

Slipping over the castle wall, I dashed eastward with a thoughtful frown.

_Why would the One-Eyed Dragon make way for Kawanakajima…?_

A memory tugged at my mind but time had not treated it well and I couldn't retrieve it at the moment.

_…Seventeen days remain._

* * *

**GN: **First, thank you to everyone who's still reading! Especially since there's not a lot going on... Sadly, I think I'm cowardly so I incorporated that aspect into Kira's personality and...yeah–she'll be avoiding as many confrontations as possible... Given what I have planned thus far, though, the first instance of action would be in...two chapters? Maybe?

Um, what else...? Oh yeah! The flashback in this chapter's really just to show that Kira's not immune to mistakes; those feathers are a physical and permanent reminder that she should never and will never touch natural energy ever again so, for any _Naruto_-fans out there, that means _no sage mode_ or anything similar to that.

I think that's it so thank you again for reading and I do hope that you'll continue enjoying this story. :)

**Disclaimer:** _Sengoku Basara_ © Capcom; _Naruto_ © Masashi Kishimoto; Kira and all other original concepts © me


	6. 05: One-Eyed Dragon Or Tiger Cub?

**_Surviving Death_**

* * *

_After finding out about chakra and that mishap with natural energy, I played around with the idea that I was in the _Naruto_-universe but the lack of gossip on Hidden Villages and Elemental Countries and other familiar terms made me think otherwise. _

_Then again, what if I'd been (re)born before the time period that I'd read about? Or maybe I'd even been given this second chance _after_ that system had already collapsed? Interesting ideas but there was no use setting myself up for a fall._

_And then, one day, I heard a familiar name._

_"Have you heard of Shingen Takeda-sama's ascension?"_

_My mind immediately flashed back to _Sengoku Basara_, a fandom that I quite liked but didn't know much of, and then to my World History class, which I remembered little of, before I shook both thoughts off._

There's just no way… Right?

_Because one would mean dimension-hopping and the other would mean time-traveling and I couldn't see either being true irrespective of my childish dreams._

But neither is reincarnation…

_…unless I really did go insane._

_I decided to put everything to the back of my mind because there was no point in figuring out how it happened when it had already happened and wouldn't happen again any time soon._

But death is everywhere,_ my mind whispered, _You could die tomorrow if not today…

_I ignored the truth and simply focused on the here and now, such as trying to figure what "_所長_" meant._

Don't think too much…

_Still, I couldn't completely ignore the gossips as talk of a Nobunaga Oda and how he was either conquering an area or destroying an army cropped up. _

_Unease became increasingly evident in everyone's speech and manner._

_And then, a few months later, _home_ was _no more_._

_It had been a shock to feel more than hear the deafening boom of explosions after years of nothing louder than the shouts of drunken men or the shrieks of Okaa-sama on a bad day. Immediately, everyone had whirled into action, panicked and terrified, screaming that the _Demon King_ was _here_. And then Mama had grabbed me and an emergency bag and we were _running_ for our _lives_._

_Most of my memories blurred together but I could distinctly recall two things: overwhelming dread and overpowering protectiveness._

I can't let her die.

_It was the one thought that drowned out the otherwise _crippling_ notion that we were going to be hunted down, trapped and _killed_ like nothing more than animals._

_I lost track of time as we simply ran and hid and ran and hid and ran some more until we finally bunkered down in a small town of some sort._

_Later, when we felt safe, I would learn that we had traversed a great deal of land and entered into Takeda territory. It was here where we'd decided to live and stay. And it was because of this that I would feel partial to his faction._

_My loyalty, however, would only remain with those I made promises to… _

* * *

**05: The One-Eyed Dragon Or The Tiger Cub?**

* * *

Fire flashed and lightening crackled as metal clashed, screeching in protest when the two warriors pushed against one another in a battle of strength and will.

Masamune Date, Lord of Oshu, and Yukimura Genjiro Sanada, loyal vassal of Shingen Takeda, were facing off in an epic battle as their respective army stood behind them in support but otherwise stood (smartly) out of the way.

From my hiding spot in the shadows, I pushed away my initial awe and grimaced at the sight.

_Which do I go after…?_

The two men jumped backwards, eyes sharp and lips quirked in excitement, before dashing forward again, blurring and slashing and stabbing and emitting glows of energy.

_…I can't get close to either one like this…_

A faint signature–green, smooth, woody, sweetly tart, fuzzy–brushed against my senses and I suppressed my chakra to the best of my ability while remaining inside of the darkness.

I tensed upon feeling someone land on a branch a few meters above my position.

"Good grief," a familiar voice drawled and I could just imagine his bored expression even as I kept my eyes on the duel before me, "Danna sure is fired up today."

_Sasuke Sarutobi,_ I thought grimly, readjusting my mail-gauntlet just in case, _Currently closest to being on par with Kotaro Fuma… _

My feathers bristled and I had a difficult time keeping myself from simply bolting and abandoning the mission altogether.

_…Damn it._ I bit my lower lip in frustration. _What the hell do I do now…?!_

Although he wasn't aware of my current location, I could feel his chakra spread out and searching for my own.

He _knew_ that I was here.

How could he not when he'd been trained so much _more_ than I?

But he wasn't sure of _exactly_ where I was.

My signature may have been noticeable to a ninja such as he, but it was far too diluted and dispersed due to my connection with the shadows.

_But,_ I reminded myself harshly, _His element is _also_ Darkness._

And so the question now was _just how intimate_ was he with the shadows, with _my_ safe haven?

I tightened my fists, feeling his intense gaze pass over my invisible form.

_Do I run?_

His chakra swirled with apprehension and I could hear him draw one of his shuriken–

_Do I stay?_

–and the branch on which he stood lowered a millimeter as he prepared to leap–

_Which is it…?!_

–before the ninja abruptly disappeared–

_…!_

–only to reappear in between the two warriors, deflecting their weapons and causing them to abruptly stop fighting.

"Sorry to interrupt, Danna, Dokuganryu-no-danna," Sarutobi spoke with just the slightest hint of severity, "But our main army and Uesugi will have this place surrounded soon."

And suddenly I remembered _why_ Date had appeared here.

_A surprise attack on Takeda and Uesugi…_ I pursed my lips in thought. _It was the very first episode, wasn't it…? _

I wasn't completely sure.

"In a three-way fight, it might've been even," the ninja continued, "But, with both armies marching on you in lockstep, I think it'll be a disadvantage, even for you."

"Don't give me that bull," the Lord of Oshu replied, narrowing his single eye, "Who the hell would fall for what an enemy ninja has to say–"

"Masamune-sama," Kojuro Katakura interjected, "I believe that perhaps we should withdraw at this time."

I could feel his chakra–blue, tingly, musky, minty, humming–spark in indignation before calming a bit when his Right Eye explained, "Even if we are equal to the task, no small number of lives will surely be lost."

_And if there's anything I remember clearly, it's that he cares greatly for his men._

"…Tch," Date straightened up and irritably sheathed his swords in a swift motion before mounting his horse, shouting, **"Let's go, guys!"**

His men answered in the affirmative and I hesitated for a moment, sliding my gaze over to the stationary Takeda detachment.

Sarutobi appeared relax, speaking with his master, but I could still feel his energy seeking out mine.

Biting the inside of my cheek, I made up my mind.

_I'll go after them last._

With that thought in mind, I darted from shadow to shadow, trailing after the distancing Date army…

* * *

"…In the end, we fought neither the War God of Echigo nor the Tiger of Kai," the One-Eyed Dragon spoke after sipping at his sake, "We got nothing we came here for."

The sun was setting when he'd called for his army to stop riding and to rest for the night.

"For all that you say," Katakura replied, sitting beside his lord with a bottle of sake in hand, "You do not appear to be very disappointed."

Situated in one of the many cherry blossom trees that surrounded their camp and hidden behind the thick veil of beautiful pink flowers, I watched as the two men exchanged words.

_When should I strike?_

I eyed the marred crescent moon helmet that rested before its owner until a shift in their chakra from vaguely tense to excited anticipation caught my attention.

Focusing on their lips, I perked up when they spoke of their upcoming plans.

"Unable to bear the overwhelming pressure of its neighbors," the Right Eye informed his leader, "I believe Imagawa should be giving in and raising an army about now."

A flicker of surprise appeared on Date's face before he smirked, commenting lightly, "Great minds think alike."

Furrowing my brows, I attempted to recall who this Imagawa was and a vague image of a clown-like gentleman popped into mind along with a feeling of foreboding.

_Will it go as depicted?_ I wondered as I gleaned from the two that Takeda was likely to also go after their target, _Or will things go completely out of hand?_

I wasn't sure but I was leaning more towards my latter prediction, given _my_ appearance.

Then again, the whole story was confusing in general.

_…Fuck my life._ I stifled a groan and resisted the urge to smash my head against the tree trunk. _I hope to all things good that I don't screw up whatever's supposed to be canon… _

Somehow, I had the feeling that everything was _already_ messed up.

"Pst–! Have you guys heard?!"

My ears perked up and I looked to see four particular soldiers seated a bit away from my hidden perch, looking much more sober than but just as relaxed as their other comrades.

"About what?" asked the one whose hair mimicked the famous Elvis Presley's just as the overweight one piped up, "You've got more food for me?"

"Wha–No!" the one who initiated the conversation looked annoyed as he pushed up his glasses and answered, "It's about Mori, Chosokabe and Tokugawa, of course!"

I winced at that and couldn't help but wonder how and why news seemed to travel so fast in a world without mass media.

"Now that you mention it," the one wearing a chin guard mused aloud, "I think I heard something about them…like an attack?"

Glasses looked a bit relieved that _someone_ knew what he was talking about.

I was less so but continued to listen in.

"Not really," he explained with a mystified look on his face, "Rather, I heard that their weapons got stolen!"

"Their weapons?" Presley-hair echoed and sipped at his drink in thought, "How'd they manage that?"

"That's the thing!" Glasses was getting pretty excited over it. "_No one_ knows! The thief was never seen!"

"…reminds me of that time my onigiri went missing," Chubby mumbled as he munched on sweet senbei.

Chin-guard rolled his eyes at their gluttonous friend before frowning and asking, "So what? You think Hittou might get targeted or something?"

They fell silent for a moment before–

"Nah~!"

–they grinned at one another.

_…if only you knew…_

"And even if he _were_ next," Presley-hair continued, "Hittou's too strong!"

"Yeah," Chubby nodded in agreement, "Besides, Katakura-sama will be there too!"

"And all of us will definitely stay sharp," Chin-guard grinned, "This thief's going down!"

"OSU!"

I almost wanted to sigh but kept silent as I felt _their_ energies dance against mine.

"I see you're all fired up," Date chuckled with his helmet under his arm as he and Katakura came down from their secluded spot atop of the hill.

"HITTOU!"

They scrambled to their feet and saluted him with wide smiles, catching everyone's attention as they too raised and cheered a greeting.

**"Alright, guys,"** the blue lord spoke as he sat down and motioned for them to follow, "We're holding a war council right now…"

My eyes trailed from the One-Eyed Dragon to his Right Eye and I pursed my lips when I saw him gazing in my general direction.

_Can he sense me…?_

Not wanting to take the chance, I slipped farther away from the group and stepped out of the shadows in order to fully suppress my chakra.

His lips quirked down into a faint frown that didn't seem all that different from his usual expression before he turned his attention away from me and back to the meeting at hand.

Rather than relaxing, I tensed instead and bit the inside of my cheek.

_Dangerous,_ I thought, keeping one eye on Katakura and the other on the group as a whole, _I hadn't expected a non-ninja to be so sensitive to chakra._

Had I not been running and hiding for most of my life, then…

I shook off the thought and closed my eyes tiredly.

_Attempting to steal it tonight would be a terrible idea… _

The sword-wielding tactician was extraordinarily vigilant and that, in turn, alerted everyone else to be watchful as well.

_…I'll try my luck at the hunt tomorrow._

The ominous feeling persisted.

_Fifteen days remain…_

* * *

**GN:** Whew! Kira came pretty close to being caught there, na? In any case, I hope that everyone's still relatively in-character; if not, then do drop me a message or something and I'll see what I can do about it... Anyway, I'll be drawing a bit more on the anime now that we've reached this point but some things are still going to be changed, especially since this is an OC/Self-insert story. On another note, given the first-person perspective, a lot of things will be left out... I'll try to answer whatever questions might come up in story though. As always, thank you for following along and I hope that you're all still enjoying it. Until another time then. :)

**Disclaimer:** _Sengoku Basara_ © Capcom; _Naruto_ © Masashi Kishimoto; Kira and all other original concepts © me


	7. 06: Unlucky Charms

**_Surviving Death_**

* * *

_Mama fell in love with a wanderer._

_I tightened my fists and stared impassively at the twenty-something-year-old man in front of me, taking in his brown hair, dull eyes, tanned skin and overall _nondescript_ appearance, before comparing him with Mama, whose dark hair was soft like silk, whose bright eyes glittered with emotions, whose light skin was as pale as freshly fallen snow and whose overall features were _ethereal_._

_It was like _Beauty and the Beast_ all over again._

_And it made my lips twist as if I'd been forced to eat gizzards for the rest of my life._

_I couldn't help but wonder if he'd used some sort of trick, some sort of _spell_, to seduce her because I could _feel_ that there was something _dangerous_ about him._

_It made no sense why I got that feeling from him given his rather harmless demeanor–he was polite and rather gentlemanly if not aloof to be honest–but that was how I felt…_

_…especially when I tapped into his chakra._

Gray and smoky and humid and steely and low-pitched…

_Those things shouldn't have made me want to run far, far away and yet it _did_._

_But I couldn't stop my mother from caring for him. And he moved in with us shortly afterwards. Eventually, they married under the common law._

_"Ki-chan," Mama called me out one day as we went shopping for food, "Why don't you give him a chance? For me?"_

_I couldn't deny her request. It had been that way even Before and the trait simply followed me here. Thus, I gave him his chance._

_"Fight me," I told him rather arrogantly after getting a grasp on controlling my chakra, "If you win, then I'll acknowledge you."_

_I got my ass kicked…_

_"Your control is crude, little shadow. Watch _Papa_ and learn."_

_…and I'm ashamed to admit that I was bribed._

_As it turned out, there was good reason to fear "Papa" and I'd been right in doing so. _

_The man was utterly _evil_ when it came to training. _

_Of course, my mother was oblivious to this particular attribute of his, given how sneaky he was, and I'd never bothered telling her, given how battered my pride had become._

_Regardless, _he_ had been the one to contribute most to my survival…_

_…especially after Mama passed away._

* * *

**06: Unlucky Charms**

* * *

_Shit. Shit. Shit, shit, shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit._

I really shouldn't sing that to the _Super Mario_ theme but…

_Shit!_

Diving to the floor to avoid the burning spear, I rolled with the momentum before sprinting again, clutching the six-coin necklace in one hand.

"Halt, thief!" the general in red shouted as he tailed me like a vicious bloodhound, "Return all that you've stolen!"

An unbidden whine left my lips but was abruptly cut off as–

**"Jet-X!"**

–I twisted and turned and dodged the six blades that came my way, wincing a bit when one skidded off of the helmet I held under my other arm and tore through parts of my clothes but thankfully not my skin.

"Heh, **not bad,"** the Lord of Oshu smirked with a particularly cold glint in his eye, "But don't think I'll go easy on you just because you're a girl."

_Fu–_

I discarded that thought in order to deflect a particularly close strike to my torso with my mail-gauntlet, feeling the heat that blazed from those spears, before I jumped and winced when I landed on the blunt edges of three swords, feeling shocks of electricity run up my legs.

Quickly leaping away, I stuffed the necklace into my chest armor–Sanada sputtered incoherently–and formed a hand-sign, flickering to a safer distance meters away.

_Damn it…_

I wondered how I'd messed up so badly as to have two extraordinarily skilled warriors on my tail…

_Hidden amongst the shadows in the outskirts of the surrounding forest, I pressed my palms together and breathed deeply, slowly, quietly._

Focus._ The warmth and coolness in my guts moved up to my shoulders and down my arms, mixing with my mail-gauntlets. _Focus…

_Pulling my hands away from each other, I smiled upon seeing translucent threads extend from the tips of my fingers before sobering and looking forward at where the battle was being fought._

_Date and Sanada clashed again and again and again, throwing techniques around with the intent to subdue the other, possibly permanently, but their attempts were thwarted each and every time._

_My eyes caught a movement to the side and I looked to see Imagawa arranging for his body doubles before I nodded to myself._

Alright._ I moved my hands to face the fighting men. _Here's my chance…

_A particularly devastating attack threw up a storm of dirt and dust and I shot my chakra wires into the smokescreen, relying on my enhanced senses to tell me where my targets were, before–_

Now!

_–I tugged and the crescent moon helmet along with the six-coin necklace came flying towards me._

_"Masamune-sama!"_

Shit!_ I grabbed my targets and leapt away just in time to avoid a surge of lightening that incinerated the trees. _I miscalculated…!

_The manmade sandstorm had lifted far quicker that I'd thought and the Right Eye had caught sight of my targets leaving the area. What made that even worse was Date's swift response, which destroyed my hiding spot. Now, the newly made clearing brought my form to light and I bit the inside of my cheek to avoid cursing aloud._

_"You've got some nerve," Date spoke lowly and my body felt as if it'd been doused in ice, "Stealing from the One-Eyed Dragon…"_

_I grimaced, feeling his ire spike even higher, and immediately ran away._

Unfortunately, I'd severely underestimated their abilities and likely overestimated my own because they'd caught up to me in a two-prong attack mere minutes later.

_For a new and temporary alliance,_ a part of my mind couldn't help but notice, _Their teamwork is pretty good._

…Having used _Shunshin_ to travel a fair distance away, I estimated that I had a minute to seal my objectives away and pulled out the scroll that contained the other three, unraveling it to place the rather heavy helmet and the necklace atop of the last two unfinished seals, before–

Poof!

–they disappeared with a flare of my chakra.

A whistling sound caught my attention and I quickly dived to the side while simultaneously rolling up my scroll and placing it back into my satchel just as a giant shuriken embedded itself into the spot I'd been.

"Hoo boy," a familiar drawl made itself known and the ranged weapon returned to its owner with a flick of his wrist, "Who'd have thought the thief was a young woman?"

Not bothering to reply as my heart pounded almost painfully in my chest, I dashed towards the forest but was cut off by a linear electrical attack that sliced through the terrain.

The chakra–indigo, warm, breezy, fierce, granular–informed me that the Right Eye was within range and I jumped over a horizontal slash, pushing off of the blade and kicking at his face but he blocked it with an arm and I somersaulted away to avoid the shuriken that was hurled in between us.

"My apologies, Migime-no-danna," Sarutobi spoke as he retrieved his thrown weapon, "I wasn't expecting a hawk to be so slippery," he sighed and twirled his shuriken, "Looks like I better step it up a notch."

_Please don't._ I made a face and the ninja grinned as if seeing behind my mask. _Damnable monkey… _

It almost made me curse the fact that I'd been born on that year Before.

"I suggest," Katakura spoke and I could feel his gaze sharpen on my form, "That you give up and return everything."

_…Sorry. _

I pursed my lips and lowered my stance, sending out a wave of chakra.

_But I _need_ to do this._

The warrior frowned, displeased with my silent decision, and shifted his footwork as his grip tightened before he dashed forward, shouting, "Then this Kojuro Katakura shall stop you here!"

A distant answer resonated with my chakra and I honed in on it as I twisted around a shuriken before looking up when a shadow casted over me. The Right Eye was descending with a downward slash and I immediately connected with the shadows. His eyes widened and that was the last thing I saw as I slipped into the darkness, making my way towards my seal.

_Too close,_ I thought and grimaced when I felt a resistance in the shadow-way, _Damn it…!_

Now that he knew where I'd disappeared into, Sarutobi was attempting to pull me out with his own chakra.

Clapping my hands together, I activated the distant seal and felt a tug from inside of me before–

"Oof…!"

–I stumbled out of the shadows four or so kilometers away from where I'd been.

Grabbing the tag, I sent out another wave of chakra to search for the second beacon I'd planted beforehand and continued running.

I bit my tongue and held back the urge to hiss in pain.

My wounds were shallow but still stung as they stretched with each and every movement I made, bleeding a bit when they rubbed against the fabric of my clothes, but I was pretty lucky overall.

_I guess I should thank Papa for that… _

Faint green, smooth, woody, sweetly tart and fuzzy against my senses alerted me to Sarutobi's fast approach and I cursed under my breath.

_Should've figured. _My stomach churned with anxiety. _I would never match up to any of them._

But I couldn't give up, not when I was _so fucking close_ to finishing.

I felt the energy of my seal bounce back to me and slammed my palms together, feeling that familiar tug from within, before I jumped another four or so kilometers, hearing the faintest sound of a distant curse.

_Once more…!_

Exiting the shadow-way, I landed a bit heavily on a tree branch and grabbed the tag before immediately stepping forward into another shadow as I felt my last tag brush against my senses a kilometer away, flickering to it.

_Am I safe…?_

I leaned against the trunk and panted softly, fully suppressing my chakra…

…or, rather, what little I had left of it.

I was running on little more than my emergency reserves. And by that, I meant that I had barely enough before I would've started drawing on energy from my _organs_. Chakra was made of _physical_ and spiritual energy after all.

Needless to say, I didn't want to resort to that as too much would cripple me for a long time, possibly for life, and I could even _die_.

_Again_.

I couldn't have that happening.

Not now.

My heart and breathing calmed to a more manageable rate and I pushed off of my perch to slink from tree to tree, making sure that I covered up my tracks to the best of my ability before I was off to Kyoto.

_Fourteen days left, huh…_

* * *

**GN:** ...Fail fight scene was fail. And I get the feeling that the escape was pretty fail too. *sigh* I feel depressed now... *rolls off into my Emo Corner*

**Disclaimer:** _Sengoku Basara_ © Capcom; _Naruto_ © Masashi Kishimoto; Kira and all other original concepts © me


	8. 07: Exchange in Kyoto

**_Surviving Death_**

* * *

All good things eventually come to an end.

_This I knew well._

Mama…

_Sitting on my knees beside her, I tightened my fists as my eyes trailed over those numerous bumps that covered her face, trailing down her neck and all across her hidden body, before I looked up when I heard the door slide open._

_"…Papa," I greeted before grimacing at how cold I sounded._

_A large hand fell on my head and I peeked up to see the man looking at my mother solemnly with shadows of pain and sorrow hidden in his usually blank eyes._

_"What," he started and paused, running his fingers through my hair in an attempt to recompose himself before finally asking, "What did the doctor say…?"_

_A sharp pain in my mouth and the taste of iron told me that I bit down on the inside of my cheek too hard but they already ebbed as my chakra automatically healed it._

_"She…doesn't have long," I forced myself to speak, "There is…no cure…"_

_My heart ached and my eyes burned but I couldn't cry – not when it would do me no good, not when it would only serve to hurt._

_Papa moved away from me and knelt on the other side, gently placing a calloused hand over Mama's smaller one. His lips pursed so tightly that they turned pale. Gray energy emitted from him and trailed over my mother and the pained look on her face eased just a bit._

_"…Papa?" I asked after a moment of just watching the two, "Why… Why aren't we infected as well…?"_

_For a moment, he didn't reply, simply opting to brush away a stray lock on Mama's forehead, before he spoke softly, "Why ask when you already know…?"_

_…that those trained will subconsciously burn out such impurities._

Why, indeed…? _I closed my eyes and smiled bitterly. _Maybe it's because I was hoping for a solution to all of this shit…

_Because Mama fell ill and there was no hope for her recovery and all I could do was blame myself for not entering the medical field Before because I _knew_ that smallpox had been eradicated_ _in that life and if only I had then–!_

Damn it… _I dug my blunt nails into my skin. _Damn it all…!

_I wanted to _claw_ through my skin, wanted to see myself _bleed_, wanted to _punish_ myself for being utterly _useless_… _

_But a burst of anger from Papa's chakra stopped me cold._

_"Enough, Kira," he spoke and I flinched at his icy tone, "What good will that do for any of us?"_

_Remaining silent, I looked away in shame._

_"Ki-chan…"_

_I jerked a bit in surprise and looked to see Mama smiling at me, still looking _so beautiful_ despite her marred face._

_"M-Mama," my voice cracked and I abruptly shut my mouth to force back the urge to cry._

_She raised a hand and I grasped it to my chest, mindful of my strength so as to avoid popping those bubbles._

_"It's okay, Ki-chan," she spoke softly and smiled weakly and the pain in my chest hurthurthurt, "Even if I'm gone," I wanted to tell her to stop talking like that, "So long as you continue to live," but it felt like my throat was seized, "I'll always be with you…"_

_Instead, I bowed my head, hiding my tears, and kissed her thin fingers, whispering, "I love you, Mama…"_

_Her chakra–white, tinkling, plum blossom, sweet, tingly–brightened a bit as her hand tightened briefly and she murmured, "I love you too, Ki-chan… My daughter, my light…"_

_She fell silent and my heart almost stopped but I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw her chest rise and fall slowly._

Asleep,_ I reassured myself as I laid her hand under her blanket, _She's just asleep…

_Two weeks later, she also slept…_

Good night, Mama…

_…in an elegant white kimono…_

Good-bye, Mama…

_…as crimson flames devoured her still body._

* * *

**07: Exchange in Kyoto**

* * *

_Almost done..._

It was the following day and, after cleaning up, I'd settled down on the rooftop of Zakuro's Teahouse to wait for my employer.

_…so tired… _

Exhaustion weighed my body down and I covered up a yawn, blinking sleepily up at the heavily cloudy and dark sky.

_…looks like it might storm._

Another yawn escaped my lips and I rubbed my eyes in an attempt to keep awake before rolling onto my stomach and resting my chin against my knuckles, gazing down at the rather crowded streets.

_A cloak with "_愛_" embroidered on it, huh…_ I frowned as I thought on that. _Such a vague description… _

It made me wary.

Knowledge was something that I'd learn to appreciate greatly ever since I fought in the war Before.

After all, there had been times, there were times, there _will be_ times when it could mean the difference between life or death.

Be it my own or others, information was often the key to victory.

_Who,_ I wondered as I rested my head on my arms and narrowed my eyes, _Would risk incurring the wrath of five factions for things so transient?_

Because armor and weapons could be replaced.

_And life could not._

But I didn't know and that made my stomach churn uneasily.

Raspberry, red, smoky, ticklish and humming touched on my radar and I pushed myself up before a vague shadow passed overhead.

My body creaked and I winced at how sore I felt but my attention was redirected as a familiar weight landed on my shoulder.

"Good to see you haven't been shot down," I glanced over at my avian partner, "It was stupid of you to fly off with that message, y'know?"

Shunko clicked her beak at me and turned her head to give me a look that quite clearly read, _Who the hell do you think I am, human?_

And I sighed, unable to help the wry smile that quirked my lips, before I scratched her chin and relented, "Well, at least you're okay…"

She preened for a moment before pausing and nudging my head, motioning for me to look down below with a wing.

I obeyed and soon straightened up with narrowed eyes upon spotting the red kanji for "love" clearly embroidered on the back of a white cloaked figure who walked into the building upon which I was perched.

_…Suspicious,_ I couldn't help but think as I scrutinized my supposed employer through the open window, _Why stand out like that…?_

Because wearing red and white amongst a sea of brown and cream and other earthy colors was about as conspicuous as one could get without seeming completely outrageous.

_I don't like this._ My senses were prickling at me. _But I have no other choice… _

Shunko beat her wings a few times before taking off into the distance and I stood up, sending a wave of chakra throughout my body to ease my soreness and making sure that my mask was on properly.

_Let's hope this isn't an ambush._

Silently slipping from the rooftop and into the tea house, I quietly closed the window behind me (but kept it unlocked) and took a good look at the one who sent me running across the country in search of five subjectively important objects and held half of the key to Tsukasa's recovery.

_…?_

I furrowed my brows and gazed at my employer in apprehension.

The person was covered up so well that I couldn't even distinguish _gender_.

But what I was able to glean was that he or she was taller than I and of a wiry build with a subtle air of someone skilled in battle.

_And this chakra…_

My feathers ruffled.

_…so dark, chilling, dripping, shivering, _bittersweet_._

I wanted to run…

_Danger._

…but forced myself to stay.

My employer looked up just enough for me to see violet-painted lips and spoke silkily, "So you're the one who took on my request?"

Familiarity tugged at my mind but I couldn't recall where I'd heard that airy voice before.

Tilting my head in affirmation, I untied the scroll from my waist and placed it before me. The cloaked figure shifted as that unnerving chakra perked with interest.

Unraveling it to reveal the five seals, I touched the first and flared my chakra before–

Poof!

–Mori's ring blade revealed itself from behind dissipating wisps of smoke.

"Oya?" The other leaned forward and the excitement emanating made me feel a bit sick. "How interesting… It's the real deal."

I couldn't help but bristle, insulted, and my employer chuckled, "Now, now, you can't blame me for being surprised," that invisible but no less intense gaze made me want to shrink away, "_No one else_ had been able to get them after all…"

Biting my tongue, I unsealed the second one and Chosokabe's anchor spear appeared in a similar fashion before I paused and looked at the other with narrowed eyes.

The cloaked person laughed again, sending chills running up my spine, and reached behind to pull forward a case, popping it open to reveal neatly packed gold bars.

I sent out my chakra, getting a feel for them and mentally comparing them to past memories, before I calculated the worth and nodded in agreement, assured that they were real and of the correct amount.

Swiping my fingers against the last three, I watched as the double-bladed spear, the crescent moon helmet and the six-coin ring appeared simultaneously.

The other hummed and reached out a pale hand, gingerly tracing the gouge on Date's signature helm and murmuring, "To think that the Young Tiger of Kai has such strength…"

My heart clenched uneasily as the cloaked figure chuckled again.

There was a certain…_lust _evident in the other's chakra.

And it _alarmed_ me.

But I bit my tongue and slid the requested items over just as the case of money was pushed towards me.

Grabbing my now-blank scroll, I placed the case onto it and pulled off my right mail-gauntlet before lifting my mask just enough to bite my hand.

I could feel the other's piercing gaze on me but ignored it (though I kept an eye open for any aggression) in favor of writing out a new storage seal in blood; it was a safety precaution that would automatically send the money over to Yoippari if I were to die.

_Because blood is of life._

Forming a hand-sign, the wet writing glowed with my chakra and the case disappeared in a poof of smoke, which dissipated to reveal that the blood had instantly dried, before I rolled the scroll up and placed it inside of my satchel.

"How very interesting," my now-former employer mumbled, "The ability to store cumbersome items into something much more inconspicuous…"

Increasingly anxious, I forced myself to stand slowly in a facade of ease and half-turned to walk over to the closed window…

The cloaked figure laughed again, whether at his (her?) own fortune or at my cautiousness, I knew not.

Regardless, I opened the window and quickly flickered away with a simple Shunshin before anything else could happen.

_Never again, _I thought grimly as I found myself a fair distance away and stepped off of the rooftop and onto the surrounding wall before leaping into the forest, _I will _never again_ work for _that person_._

Because even now my body trembled in fear.

_Never again… _

* * *

**GN:** Sorry for taking forever with this! Summer's really taking a toll on me... But, my misery aside, we finally meet the person who gave Kira her almost impossible request! Who is it exactly? Well... We'll see. :P The next chapter shouldn't take as long to post since I've got a draft going so... I'll see y'all then. :)

**Disclaimer:** _Sengoku Basara_ © Capcom; _Naruto_ © Masashi Kishimoto; Kira and all other original concepts © me


	9. 08: Mission Accomplished

**_Surviving Death_**

* * *

_Staring out at the sea from atop of the cliffside, I breathed in the salty air as the cool breeze played with my hair before I sighed softly._

Mama…

_To be honest, I wasn't sure which one I was really thinking of. Was it my mother of Before whose face and voice had blurred beyond all recognition due to the passage of time? Or was it my mother of this life who'd passed away four months prior?_

_"Kira."_

_I turned to see my teacher, my (step)_father_,_ _walk up to me with his usual expression…or, rather, _lack_ of expression._

_"Are you ready?" he asked blandly as his gaze trailed to behind me and turned wistful, "The troupe will be leaving soon."_

_I wasn't sure if he was looking at the body of water that Mama adored so much or the shamisen on my back that she used to play at night just before bed._

_Either way, I knew that he would never look at me straight in the eyes ever again._

_I looked too much like Mama after all._

_"…Let's go then," I answered after pushing away the brief spark of sadness in my heart, "They're in a hurry to get a move on, aren't they?"_

_Papa nodded a bit stiffly and turned to walk back, not bothering to check if I was following, but I didn't mind it too much and simply shadowed him._

_My twelfth birthday had passed a few days ago and we were leaving our less-of-a-home-than-it-was-a-house to pursue life as vagabonds. Had I been the child I was Before, then I might've complained about lack of comfort and luxuries. But, as I was, life on the move was…interesting, to say the least._

_We went from village to village, simply doing odd jobs here and there and whenever we were running low on money. Sometimes, we'd stay for a few months. Oftentimes, we'd stay for a week or two before moving on. And the only times we ever bothered returning to _that town_ was once a year in honor of _her_._

_I'd expected to continue on this way until I surpassed Papa in skills…_

_But it was not to be._

_Our travels together ended on the last day of my sixteenth summer… _

Danger!

_My senses screamed at me and I threw myself to the side, barely dodging the volley of arrows that rained down in that spot, before I rolled to my feet and ducked into the forest, hiding in the shadows behind a tree and hearing the thunks that signaled missed shots._

_"She went in there!" I heard a man shout to his companions, "Be careful! Who knows what that bastard's taught her!"_

_Heart racing, I peeked out from my hiding spot and chanced a glance at the emblem that each of them wore: a black circle with two horizontal white stripes. _

…? _I didn't recognize it. _Who…?

_But then my eyes trailed to a familiar flower-shaped print that graced the group's banner and I quickly covered my lips to stifle a gasp._

Oda!?

_My heart pounded heavily._

Why would _Oda_ be after _me_?!

_A rough hand covered mine and I reflexively kicked out but was deflected before a voice hissed, "Calm down…!"_

_I froze, taking in that gray and smoky and humid and steely and low-pitched chakra, and relaxed a bit–_

Papa…

_–before tensing again when I noticed the glimmer of fear in his eyes._

Papa, are they…are they after _you_…?

_It was only later–after the detachment had been demolished and the survivors fled, after my body had been beaten and it hurt to move, after Papa had _fallen_ and called out to me–that I would learn of his previous identity._

_"I'm sorry, little shadow," he coughed wetly with tears clinging to his sadhurt_tired_ eyes, "I never meant to drag you into this…"_

_And then he told me _everything_: about how he'd been a _mercenary_, about how he'd worked _for Oda_, about how he'd _failed a mission_, about how _Mama_ found him on the verge of death, about how he'd fallen in _love_ with her, about how we became a _family_ and how he _cared too much_ for his own good… _

_"I thought we were safe," blood dribbled down his chin as he spoke weakly, "I'm such a fool, aren't I…?"_

_I couldn't respond as I choked back my sobs and crawled over to him, ignoring the pain that flared up my legs, down my arms, through my entire body just as I ignored the blood and gore and limbs that were strewn around us._

_His lips quirked up into a faint image of a smile, the _first_ and _only_ and _last_ smile that I'd ever seen, and his hand raised to rest on my matted hair, ruffling it slowly._

_"Don't cry," Papa whispered, wiping away the unbidden tears that trailed down my cheeks, "Kami-sama, you look so much like her, I…"_

_His words trailed off as he chuckled hoarsely, bitterly, before he winced when I pressed against his wounds, trying to stop its flow, and ripped up some makeshift bandages but he simply grabbed my tainted hands and whispered, "It's okay, Ki-chan…"_

_But I shook my head rapidly in response, wanting to tell him that he had a _fucking hole_ in his chest that needed to be wrapped up if he were to have _any chance_ of _surviving _but feeling like I couldn't breathe through the fear, the horror, the realization, the _despair_ that threatened to suffocate me._

_"I'll watch over you," he continued in a voice that was barely above a whisper as his grip loosened, "Even if I won't be with your mother in heaven…even if my soul burns in hell…I swear…I'll protect you…my…daugh…ter…"_

_And his hand slipped from mine and my vision blurred– _

_Nononononono–Please, god, no–I can't–He can't–! _

_"PAPA!"_

_–and he breathed no more…_

* * *

**08: Mission Accomplished**

* * *

"Tsukasa…!"

His name left my lips just as I flickered into his room but he barely stirred.

"…tch…"

Kneeling down beside him, I took in the all too familiar bumps that adorned his sunken face and small body before reaching out to brush my fingers against his hot cheeks.

My chakra stretched, entwining with his (_bright, aqua, loud, melon, jittery_) weaker one, and his pained expression smoothed out as my skin pricked with pain and burned as if fire licked at it but I ignored the feeling.

Green and rubbery and gritty and earthy and muffled alerted me of Fukuro's appearance even before the door slid open a minute later.

"Kira…!" he gasped when he saw me and grabbed my arm, "You mustn't be in here!"

Not budging, I looked up to see that he was covered from head to toe with seals as a safety precaution in order to avoid catching the contagious disease before I shook my head and pulled out my scroll.

He was still trying to tug me out of the room but I easily clung to the floor with my chakra and remained kneeling.

Unraveling the parchment, I unsealed the case full of money and shoved it into his arms, snapping, "Get that doctor already!"

For a moment, Fukuro just stood there, blinking as if uncomprehending, before his eyes widened and he swiftly disappeared through the door.

Closing my eyes, I breathed deeply and exhaled slowly to calm my nerves…

_Please hurry… _

"Kira-nee…?"

I couldn't help but twitch in surprise before shifting closer to the boy, answering, "I'm here, Tsu-kun."

His lips twitched into a half-smile and I placed my hands over his when he flinched away as if struck.

"Don't…!"

His voice was hoarse and full of panic.

"I'll make you sick…!"

My eyes widened and my heart ached before I reached out again and captured his hand gently but firmly, whispering, "Don't worry about me, Tsu-kun."

"But–!" His lips trembled as he sniffled. "Everyone said–They said–!"

"I won't catch it," I insisted, giving his hand a minute squeeze, "Promise."

For a moment, he was quiet as his fingers twitched, grasping and releasing my hands uncertainly, before he mumbled, "Promise-promise…?"

I smiled and lifted his hand to gently kiss his knuckles, murmuring, "Promise-promise. I'll swallow a thousand needles otherwise."

A giggle left his lips and his grip tightened as much as he could muster it to.

"…Where's Tou-chan, Kira-nee?" he asked and I could detect the vast insecurity in his voice, "I haven't seen him since…"

_Since I fell sick,_ was his unspoken thoughts, _Does he hate me now…?_

Shifting closer, I ran my fingers through his damp hair and answered, "He'll be back soon, Tsu-kun. He just went out to get the doctor."

"Oh…" he fell silent again, hesitating, before he asked softly, "Do you think I'll be cured, Kira-nee…?"

Without missing a beat, I replied, "Your Papa said the doc knows how to cure you."

"…That's not what I meant," Tsukasa huffed and his swollen cheeks puffed out even more, "I want to know what _you_ think."

Pausing, I bit the inside of my cheek in thought before speaking slowly, "Tsukasa," he stiffened a bit in surprise, "I just ran from one side of Japan to the other to get enough money for your operation," his eyes twitched in an effort to widen, "If I didn't believe that you'd be cured," his grip tightened, "Then I wouldn't have even bothered."

His lips parted and closed and parted again before he swallowed thickly and raised his arms to cover his face, hiccuping, "No fair, Nee-chan… When you talk like that, I… I just… I've _gotta_ believe…!"

Blinking back my own tears, I gently pulled his hands away and leaned down to kiss his forehead, whispering, "Belief can be a powerful thing, Tsu-kun."

And he cried with a watery smile.

* * *

_Amazing… _

Power practically hummed from his (_hard, sharp, icy, high-pitched, indigo_) chakra as I honed in on it, awed by the way it easily bypassed Tsukasa's natural defense and went straight for those minuscule viral cells that I could never hope to reach much less _destroy_.

And yet he did _just that_.

Bit by bit, I could feel those numerous prickles of disease die away as the doctor's energy jumpstarted and bolstered Tsukasa's weak immune system, coaxing it to overtake, consume, convert the smallpox into a _weapon_ that began fighting the rest of the virus until–

_The swelling,_ I noticed as my heart pounded with excitement, _It's gone down!_

–the red plague was eliminated from his body.

A heavy sigh left Yuuya-sensei's lips and he leaned back with a critical eye.

I could feel his chakra still searching for any traces and I followed it with my own as Fukuro hovered over his son, wringing his hands together in anxiety.

Finally, the doctor smiled a smile so faint that I would've missed it had I not been observing him closely and said,

"It is done."

Relieved, I almost conked out right then and there, feeling the fatigue from weeks of constant travel and vigilance taking its toll on me, but forced myself to stay awake as I tilted my head in gratitude.

"Thank you, Sensei!"

Fukuro was bowed over, touching his forehead to the ground, as he thanked the elderly albino profusely.

"We are eternally grateful for your aid!"

Expression reverting to a glare, Yuuya-sensei sniffed and stood up, speaking coldly, "You held up your end of the bargain and so did I."

That said, the doctor turned about and walked out of the room, grabbing the case full of money and leaving without a second glance.

I would've felt irked by his attitude but–

_Tsukasa's _healed_!_

And then I was distracted by Fukuro who grabbed me by the shoulders and hugged me tightly to his chest, blubbering incoherently, "I–Kira–thank you–didn't know–Tsukasa–cured–we–and–!"

Carefully tucking away the awkwardness that wanted to be made known, I patted the sobbing man on the back and murmured reassurances to him before perking up when I saw the resting boy's eyes flutter open.

"Tsu-kun," I greeted him happily as I slipped out of his father's embrace and knelt beside him, pressing my fingers against his warm but no longer burning cheek, "How do you feel now?"

My eyes traced his face, noting that he had pockmarks along his hairline and likely elsewhere on his body from before the doctor had put his condition in stasis, and he smiled sleepily up at me.

"Good," his voice slurred a bit, "_Really_ good."

I couldn't help but laugh, feeling my eyes tear in joy but holding back the urge to cry, and my heart felt so_ light_ that it almost flew away as I watched both father and son celebrate their lucky break.

_Thank goodness…_

Smiling, I pressed a hand against my chest and closed my eyes, sniffling quietly–

_I haven't lost him…_

–before finally succumbing to exhaustion...

Life was good.

* * *

**GN:** And so Kira finally completes her mission. With this, the first part is done and the second arc shall begin in the next chapter! When it'll be out depends on my level of motivation and the amount of free time I'll have once I start working but I doubt it'll take more than a month. Also, I'll be drawing much more heavily on the anime now but I'll also be switching some things up. The only major issue I have is figuring what to change... I already have an idea but I'm kind of worried that it might seem cliched or something. Oh well. I'll leave that up to you guys and just go along with what I have thus far. Now to re-watch some episodes and jot down whatever's relevant...

As always, thank you so much for reading and until another time then! :D

**Disclaimer:** _Sengoku Basara_ © Capcom; _Naruto_ © Masashi Kishimoto; Kira and all other original concepts © me


	10. 09: Ethereal Peace

**_Surviving Death_**

* * *

_I'd said it before but I'll say it again:_

_I was never a religious person._

_And I never understood the point of religion in general._

_Why would people search for a meaning to life in something that came from human imagination?_

_Why couldn't they just be happy knowing that they live because they were alive?_

_Was it because of our innate selfishness? Our subconscious belief that we're the center of our own worlds?_

_Well, it would account for why people believe that some entity watches over their every move, I suppose…_

_But maybe it was because of the despair that threatened to envelop me upon realizing…_

_…upon realizing that I had _nothing_ left._

_Yes, I had my life._

_Yes, I was still alive._

_Yes, I could continue to _live_._

_But…_

Can it still be called _living_ when there's no one to share that joy with…?

_Standing on the cliffside, I gazed out at the vast blue sea, watching as it glistened under the sunlight though its beauty was lost on my fraught mind. This was where I'd spread Papa's ashes after dragging his body with me and using the techniques that he'd taught me to cremate him. This was where Mama's remains had been set free so that she may enjoy what she'd loved back when she was alive._

Even though they've most likely reincarnated in another world as you did,_ my mind whispered traitorously,_ Or perhaps this truly is the result of your perverse mind.

_I shook off the thought but couldn't rid myself of the chill in my heart._

Insanity,_ I couldn't help but quote R.D. Laing,_ A perfectly rational adjustment to an insane world.

_Because I knew not what was true anymore._

Then again…

_I smiled bitterly._

Did I ever know the truth?

_Or was reality truly an illusion?_

* * *

**09: Ethereal Peace**

* * *

_What a nice day…_

Leaning against the table, I peeked through the awning to gaze up at the bright blue sun and fluffy white clouds.

It had been some time since the completion of my time-sensitive mission and Tsukasa's subsequent recovery from smallpox.

Currently, I was chilling at a random but quaint tea house.

_…can't believe I fainted though._

Snorting a bit in remembrance, I chomped down on my stick of dango and chewed noisily, simply enjoying the peaceful ambiance of this small village.

_What should I do next?_

I wasn't in any particular hurry to get a move on and I was pretty much welcomed to just stay at Yoippari but such a sedentary lifestyle was…difficult to get into now that I'd been traveling for five years and counting.

_Maybe north?_

There had been word of an insurrection group forming against Oda's conquest and I vaguely remembered a small blue-haired girl wielding a giant hammer…

_Who was she again…?_

My head throbbed a bit before I sighed, discarding my attempt to remember and sipping at my green tea. It was a bit weak.

_Oh well, I guess I'll find out if I–_

Abruptly tensing, I tightened my grip around my cup as my feathers bristled in agitation.

_…?!_

Lost in thought, I hadn't realized just how _eerily _quiet it had become.

_Where did everyone go…?_

Slowly standing up, I felt a chill descend over me and discreetly reached for the tanto that I'd hidden under my yukata.

My chakra stretched out as far as I could–

_Something's wrong…_

–and I felt a strong chakra signature making its way slowly here.

Narrowing my eyes, I concentrated on it–

_…sharp, beckoning, cool, flaring, ashy…_

–before freezing when the cold kiss of a blade rested against my pulse.

_Who–?!_

Even concentrating my chakra behind me, I still couldn't sense anyone nearby and my heart pounded relentlessly.

_How could I have been caught so easily?!_ Fear grappled my mind. _How could I have let down my guard?_

I wasn't held down, wasn't tied up, and yet I just–

Couldn't–

Move…!

_Am I going to die again…?_

A puff of warmth ghosted my neck, ruffling my hair, before I saw a vaguely familiar figure appear before me.

He was a tall, middle-aged man with black hair pulled into a high ponytail that fanned out in a circular manner. Gray stripes lined either side of his head and he had strange facial hair on each of his cheeks. His color scheme reminded me of Cruella de Vil from _101 Dalmatians_.

Dark eyes trained on me and his lips quirked up into an aloof but distinctively amused smile before he hummed,

"So this is the infamous _Dorobo-taka_…"

I blinked as surprise dulled my anxiety a bit.

_"Thieving hawk"…?_

Somehow, I had the feeling that whoever coined my new…alias…was trying to play off of _dorobo-neko_, or cat burglar.

The samurai in front of me gestured a hand and the pressure on my neck eased.

I immediately backed away, tightening my grip on my hidden weapon and facing them, before my eyes widened and I faltered.

_Kotaro Fuma…!?_

And there he was, the legendary ninja whom I could _never_ hope to match–not even if I were to catch him off guard from the very _start_.

A bead of sweat trailed down my face.

_Shit._

I was cowed.

There was no killer intent, no malign feelings, no sickening emotions.

And yet I was _cowed_.

_What do I do now…?!_

_Nothing,_ my mind whispered traitorously, _He could kill you before you even get _one step_ away._

Pain pricked my hands, informing me that my grip was too tight.

The samurai chuckled softly, silkily, _coldly_ and stepped towards me, raising a hand to trail a finger along my chin before cupping my cheek.

He leaned forward and whispered,

"Boo."

I _flinched_ and instantly felt disgusted with myself.

_Calm the _fuck_ down, Kira!_

Grinding my teeth together, I glared at the man and he backed away with an infuriatingly smug smile and familiarity continued to tug at me as I dug deep into my scattered memories of Before.

_Who are you?_

I asked silently as irritation brewed within me from trying so hard to remember and my eyes narrowed into slits–

_…someone…someone who's employed Fuma…who's a total bastard…_

–before a jolt shot through my mind and I had to fight to keep myself from reacting physically.

"Hisahide Matsunaga," I uttered, barely keeping the anger out of my voice, "Why are you here?"

His smile made me want to stab him as the man circled around me, speaking deliberately politely but undeniably mockingly, "Dorobo-taka, I have a proposition for you…"

Already, I knew I wasn't going to like this conversation.

"And what, pray tell," I asked as calmly as I could, "Makes you think that I'm this…'Dorobo-taka'?"

A chuckle of clear amusement left his lips. "Dorobo-taka, infamously known for stealing five selfishly guarded treasures from five equally devastating warriors, would have to be one of great skill." His dark eyes flashed. "Perhaps a ninja, perhaps not." He trailed his eyes over my form. "But why else would the poison not affect you?" I stiffened in alarm.

_Poison?!_

And it was then that I realized why I'd felt that _something_ was so wrong.

_My chakra…!_

Like a limb that fell asleep, it was numb.

I could still use it, could still manipulate it, but the feeling had dulled exponentially.

_So that's why I couldn't sense Fuma before…_

Enough time had passed for my chakra to burn out most of the poison, allowing me to feel, however fuzzily, his chakra: lavender, spicy, sweet, ticklish, muffled…

"It's an interesting concoction my minion made," Matsunaga continued speaking airily, "Anyone untrained would be rendered useless for several hours and yet here you stand…"

The weakened civilian signatures that brushed against my revitalizing senses told me that they'd been drugged as well.

"That still doesn't explain," I pointed out, keeping my eyes on him, "Why you think _I_ am the 'Dorobo-taka' when I could merely be lucky."

His lips widened into a sly grin. "Ah, well, let's just say a little…_birdie_ told me about you."

I bristled as my mind raced with the implications found in his tone.

"…And if this 'little birdie' is wrong?" I asked.

He chuckled, "Cautious, aren't you? Well, that's not a bad thing to be."

A snap of his finger and Fuma flickered to his side with a familiar kanji-embroidered white cloak and my eyes widened without meaning to.

"As you can see," Matsunaga gestured to the article, "I met with your employer."

_But I never revealed my face…!_

Dread crept up on me.

_How did that person even know…?!_

"An interesting man, he is," the samurai murmured, "Not one I'd want to take under my wing however."

I wanted to play it off, wanted to continue pretending that I didn't know what he was talking about, but the hard glint in Matsunaga's eyes and the deceptively relaxed stance of Fuma made me do otherwise.

"What exactly is this…proposition?"

The words tasted like acid on my tongue.

Matsunaga smiled in triumph and folded his hands behind his back, speaking cooly, "Stealing from four warlords and one lauded warrior is no small feat."

Briefly, I wondered why he didn't say _five warlords_ before remembering that Sanada had yet to gain that status.

"Indeed, the skills required to accomplish that is extraordinary," he praised hollowly and paused at my deadpan before stating clearly, "I wish to employ your services."

Resisting the urge to reject him immediately, I glanced over at the immovable ninja and spoke slowly, "You have the legendary ninja, Kotaro Fuma, under your command," my eyes narrowed suspiciously, "Why hire someone of lesser skill?"

"True," Matsunaga agreed, "I have heard of your less-than-victorious clash against Takeda and Date," I resisted the urge to twitch in remembrance, "However, the fact remains that you were able to _escape with your objective_."

I remained silent and he continued, "Despite your lacking offensive capabilities, your stealth and thieving skills may very well surpass his…"

Doubtful, I frowned and thumbed the hilt of my hidden tanto thoughtfully before stating bluntly, "And if it was merely luck? It's unlikely that I'll be successful a second time."

His smile sent chills running up my spine and my heart felt like it was slowly being squeezed.

"Are you turning down my request then?" he asked as apprehension coiled in my guts, "What a shame… Perhaps I can ask that bartender to refer me to another? I haven't visited Yoippari in a while after all."

A jolt of fear shot through me because I could _hear_ the threat in his voice.

Tightening my grip, I pursed my lips and his grin widened.

"I see you understand," Matsunaga chuckled and turned to leave, "As of current, the…anti-Oda alliance," here he sneered a bit, "Have retreated to Kai," he smirked again, "I simply ask that you retrieve Takeda's Shieldless Armor."

The taste of iron was bitter.

"Do meet me at Todai-ji on the night of the next full moon…"

They vanished in a flurry of black feathers and I kicked the dirt floor in anger and self-loathing.

_Why can't I be stronger?_

Because now both Fukuro and Tsukasa were in danger…

_Damn it…!_

…and I was at the mercy of a sadistic bastard.

_Fuck my life._

* * *

**GN: **I think I'll take a break from writing for a while. Hopefully, it won't another two-year hiatus like before in order to recover my motivation but... Sometimes, real-life worries can wear out a gal, y'know? So, I hope this chapter will entertain y'all until my return. Do take care~...

**Disclaimer:** _Sengoku Basara_ © Capcom; _Naruto_ © Masashi Kishimoto; Kira and all other original concepts © me


	11. 10: Dance Like A Marionette

**_Surviving Death_**

* * *

Mission Statement: Retrieval of stolen kabuki katana from ronin group surrounding Kyoto. Exchange scheduled to be every evening at Yoippari…

_I tilted my head back to look at the nondescript building in front of me, appreciating the simplicity in its design, before nodding to myself in confirmation and slipping through the doors._

Quaint…_ I couldn't help but feel amused._ …and quiet.

_But that was most likely because none of the five customers were drunk beyond belief yet._

_The sun was just beginning to set after all._

_No one had noticed my appearance, being cloaked in the shadows, and I gazed at the dimly lit interior, briefly wondering where I could buy that cute wooden sculpture of a panda and its cub, before my eyes fell upon an extravagantly, or perhaps _bizarrely_, dressed woman sitting at the bar and sipping at a cup of sake._

Izumo no Okuni._ I smiled. _Originator of kabuki theater…

_…and my employer._

_Silently making my way over to her, I sat down and placed my delivery on the vacant seat between us before tapping the table twice._

_She jumped, clearly surprised but not enough to scream, and stared wide-eyed at me before glancing down and relaxing with a smile. I couldn't help but notice that she was rather handsome but that was unsurprising given her popularity._

_"So you're the one who took up my request…"_

_Her eyes flitted over my form and I resisted the urge to fidget._

_"…skinny," she tutted, "You're no man, are you?"_

_I frowned behind my mask and, as if sensing my displeasure, she bowed her head._

_"Please forgive my rudeness," she apologized, "I simply wasn't expecting a woman, much less one as young as you, to have been successful with my request."_

_For a second, I wondered how many failed before me but that wasn't too important so I simply gestured to the stage prop between us._

_Understanding what I wanted, Okuni called over the bartender._

_"Fukuro-kun," she said in subtly more seductive voice, "Would you please…?"_

_The man, in his late twenties I conjectured, was of average height and powerfully built with dark hair and eyes and a tanned complexion. He wore simple garbs fitting for his status and seemed to have a mild demeanor. All in all, he was exceptionally _normal_ in comparison to us: a masked mercenary and an attractive performer._

_"Of course," he spoke in a low tenor, "It would be my pleasure."_

_With a practiced smile, Fukuro reached under the counter before producing a leather pouch and setting it in front of me._

_Sending out my chakra, I verified the contents just as Okuni took a look at her returned kabuki katana before we both nodded in acceptance._

_Contract fulfilled, I stood to leave when the miko abruptly caught my arm._

_Fighting against the instinct to throw her away from me, I turned to her in silent question._

_She grinned and tugged me back into my seat, chirping, "Now, now, don't be shy! You should enjoy life a bit more." She peered into my eyes before nodding. "As I thought, you're someone who takes everything seriously." A cup of sake was pushed towards me. "Drink up! It'll be worth it. Promise! Life without laughter isn't quite life, after all."_

_That said, Okuni downed her cup before pouring some more and downing that as well._

_Lather, rinse and repeat._

_Again._

_And again._

_And again…_

_I frowned, tracing a finger around the rim of my cup, and wondered,_

Why haven't I left already…?

_The performer was giggling away, flirting with random men as they came and went but never actually following them, all the while leaning against me as if I were the only thing there to support her (which was false, by the way, the counter was still present)._

_"Sooorryyy~ I can no' goo wit' you~," Okuni sang in between hiccups, "I got– I got me a beau here~!"_

_Her current victim(?) groaned something or another before stumbling away as the woman curled an arm around mine and rubbed her cheek against my bare shoulder. Her makeup itched._

Yup. _A soft sigh left my lips. _She's dead drunk now.

_Because she _knew_ that I wasn't a man and yet she just called me one._

_The door shuttered close, signaling that the last of the drunkards had left for wherever, and a chuckle made me look over at the bartender with a miserable look on my face. _

_Not that he could see it, of course. I still had my mask on. Speaking of which, it made for a great deterrent against drunkards._

_"Here lil' birdie~!"_

_Well, minus Okuni anyway._

_I grimaced as she finally passed out, slumping into my arms._

Now what?

_Movement of his (green, rubbery, gritty, earthy, muffled) chakra alerted me to Fukuro's close proximity and I stood up, easily carrying the unconscious performer with my enhanced strength._

_"I'll drop her off at the inn where her troupe's staying," I said, "Pardon us–"_

_He cut me off with a shake of his head. "No need. I'll just put her to bed here."_

_I paused and eyed him suspiciously and he must've realized what was on my mind because he flushed and looked quite offended. "I'm happily married, thank you very much, and I have a kid to boot! Messing around with other women would only serve to mess up my happy family."_

_He paused before sighing when I remained unconvinced. "And it's not the first time Izumo-chan's done this. I always have a room set aside for her."_

_"And I can vouch for him," a cheerful voice said._

_Fukuro jumped but I merely tilted my head to look at the newcomer, having already sensed her (pink, fluffy, soothing, clear, bittersweet) chakra when she'd descended the stairs. She was petite with a round face framed with brown locks and large green eyes. I figured she was a few years younger than her husband._

_"Suzume!" The man grinned and swept her up into a hug, kissing her lightly. "Did we wake you?"_

_The woman shook her head, smiling. "You know I'll always wait for you to finish up."_

_Getting the feeling that they were the lovey-dovey type, I quickly cut in, "Which room is Okuni-san's?"_

_That snapped them out of their world and Suzume blushed in embarrassment before Fukuro laughed and ushered us all upstairs, directing me to the nearest door._

_After tucking the performer in, I bowed to the couple and made to leave when the bartender suddenly insisted that I too stay the night._

_"Trained or not, a young woman shouldn't be out at night!"_

_I bluntly refused and was planning to slip into the shadows when the lady of the house's next words caught my attention._

_"We'll be receiving more requests tomorrow morning."_

_Turning to her, I noticed a rather cunning glint in her eyes._

_"So do stay and you can repay us by accepting those."_

_It was so nostalgically familiar…_

_"After all, the more requests fulfilled, the more we receive…"_

_…because Papa had those eyes too._

_"…and money follows."_

_I'd found a fellow mercenary._

* * *

**10: Dance Like A Marionette**

* * *

From my perch, I stood under the shadows casted forth by the moonlight upon the forest that stretched around me.

Before me laid Todai-ji, a large and empty temple complex, and just beyond that was a winding staircase leading to another similarly structured compound, though destroyed by what may have been an earthquake from time past.

I could sense three unknown chakra hidden within the darkness of the area and a memory tugged at my mind, conjuring forth a blurred image of three masked men who were a part of a group I'd long forgotten.

_Some "Death Squad" or another…_

But they were of little importance to me for I remembered, at the very least, that Katakura would take care of them later.

_That is, of course, if I assume that things will play as they did Before._

A cool breeze blew by and I shivered.

_But I can't quite assume that anymore, can I?_

The answer was an obvious, "No."

After all, wasn't Fuma supposed to have joined up with that conniving son of a bitch at some later point in time? (Such as the second season, perhaps?) Why was he here now? …I could only conjecture that it was the result of my appearance.

_A change anywhere has an effect elsewhere, huh…_

I closed my eyes tiredly, feeling a familiar throb in my temples, and breathed deeply to relieve the pang in my chest before redirecting my attention to the demolished area.

Cruella de Vil's bastard son was situated amongst the rubble of the long-gone temple alongside–

I bristled.

–Fukuro and Tsukasa. Their lax chakra signatures informed me of their unconscious and–my anger spiked–roughed up states.

With narrowed eyes, I could make out their tied forms hidden partially by the shadows but I dared not attempt a rescue because, despite his nonchalance, I could see the way his hand rested on the hilt of one of his swords, ready to be used if need be, even as his smug mug gazed calculatedly upon the teleportation-seal I left behind.

A snarl twisted my lips.

I wished–oh how I _wished_–to dig my steel talons into his neck, slowly crushing his throat so that he may choke on his own vile blood before pushing him into the shadows so that they may devour him until nothing remained…

But I could only force myself to quiet and obey his command.

With a silent exhale, I clenched my hands as a familiar–_lavender, spicy, sweet, ticklish, muffled_–chakra landed in a tree beside mine.

Forcing the tightness in my jaw to loosen, I asked bluntly, "Will you be accompanying me, Fuma-san?"

A spike in his signature informed me of his affirmation, making my fists tighten just a tad, before I forced my body to relax and stood up to face the direction of my destination.

_It's do or die time…_

.

.

.

_…or not._

I deadpanned from the safety of my hiding spot.

_Well, fuck._

And with a grimace, I bit back the urge to groan aloud at the sight of one worn but apparently _not_ indisposed one-eyed warlord alongside three other similarly conditioned persons.

_Fuckity-fuck fuck._

Someone obviously hated me enough from beyond the mortal planes if the dumping of _four_ powerhouses as obstacles before my goal was any indication.

_So what now?_

The flickering of various chakras across my senses (but the sight of not even _one_ being) informed me of the ten (highly skilled) ninjas on patrol tonight.

I grimaced again.

_Another change from canon, huh?_

Because I could've _sworn_ that Sarutobi was supposed to have sent his men out to scout for news concerning Oda and his army.

_Then again, what do I know?_

I had the deepest urge to laugh (shortly, bitterly, _hysterically_) but staved it off by directing my attention to the silent man beside me.

_Plan?_ I signed to him. _Divert, sneak?_

He shook his head and motioned back. _You go, I stay._

For a second, I was gripped with terror–_Are you _trying_ to get me killed?!_–before I sharply but silently reprimanded myself.

_Did you _really_ believe he's an _ally_?!_ My jaw tightened. _He's just following that fucktard's orders!_

And, a darker part of my mind quipped, guess who'll suffer if you don't?

I quashed the bitterness that welled up within me upon being reminded of the threat before snapping to attention upon tasting iron on my lips.

(_Huh,_ I thought detachedly as I licked the blood away,_ How does scarred lips look like again?_)

…My preferred method of sneaking into enemy territory was a no go. Being as able as he was, Sarutobi would've no doubt informed his underlings of my affinity towards Darkness and so they would be paying special attention to anything and everything in that category. Besides that, Katakura was extraordinarily sensitive to chakra in his own right, so he'd be able to sense me if I were to come within his range anyway. In addition, ninjas were _trained_ to spot anything out of the ordinary, which meant that they have the greatest chances of spotting me if I were to sneak in the old-fashioned way. All in all…

_I'm so screwed._

I wanted to bang my head against something in hopes of waking up from this nightmare but, alas, such an action would only serve to get me caught so I bit my tongue and busied myself with my pack.

_What would Robin do?_ I wondered and mused to myself before scoffing silently, _As if _I_'d know what a tactical genius would do._

I shoved the thought away and turned to another.

_What would Naruto do?_ I made a face. _Probably spam Kage Bunshin and demolish the place with a multitude of Rasengan._

The idea was highly tempting but impossible to carry out.

Unfortunately.

My reserves were nowhere near the jinchuuriki's level, for one. For another, I couldn't replicate Rasengan in any which way. Not to mention–

I. Had. No. Plot. Armor.

In other words, despite being the hero of _my_ life's story, I was not, am not, and will _never_ be immune to death.

I'd already died once, after all.

_Then again,_ I smiled wryly,_ I've been "reborn" too, haven't I?_

And my thoughts were jumping all over the place when I _should_ be figuring out how on earth I was going to get in and get out _with_ the Shieldless Armor and with_out_ getting caught.

My breath hitched as I stared at it.

_…Seriously?_

The "羊" engraving peered in dimness.

_…_Seriously_?_

Was I _really_ going to rely on this plan (again) when I _knew_ that most, if not all, of my targets had built up an immunity towards poison?

(Because such was a skill that _all_ ninjas acquired to some extent and it was something that Katakura had _willed_ himself to ignore in his fight against the Death Squad and all knew that Date, Sanada and Takeda were just as _stubborn_.)

I swallowed a whimper and simply rolled the four smoke bombs around in my hands.

That was another thing: four smoke bombs weren't nearly enough to cover the entire compound.

_If only there was a way to freeze time for all but me…_

I pulled out my journal and flipped through it.

The pages passed in a blur.

I breathed shakily and replaced the book back into my pack.

_No_, one part of my mind said,_ I am _not_ risking hair nor limb by using something unplanned and un_tested_._

_But_, another part retorted, _Such a risk is worth it if I succeed. Fukuro and _Tsukasa_ are worth it if I succeed…!_

I swallowed and pulled out a paper, hands shaking and vaguely aware that Fuma was still watching me, before pausing just as my graphite touched the surface.

_Are they _really_ worth it?_

A chill passed through my body.

_I've lost friends Before and here… I've lost my family two times over… What's another few losses to those I've already accumulated…?_

I shuddered, feeling my stomach churn uneasily.

_But… _But_…!_

Could I really just leave them to die…?

_Can I take any more of this guilt…?_

My eyes squeezed tight as I breathed deeply and exhaled slowly, not wanting to answer those questions, before I directed my gaze to the quiet Takeda territory.

The Shieldless Armor was displayed proudly in the back of the room as the four warriors sat before it, conversing solemnly about the Devil King of the Sixth Heaven though I couldn't catch most of their words from their profiles. (_Something about Nagashino, the arquebus corps and intentions…_) Meanwhile, the ninjas had set up a perimeter on three levels: four of them were stationed on the corners of the compound as preliminary lookouts, three were patrolling in a clockwise direction in the shadows of the courtyard, two were flickering about randomly and Sarutobi was hidden in the room itself.

_Wait…_

My eyes narrowed as I began tapping my forefinger against my knee, counting the minutes silently.

_One, two, three… One, two, three, four… One, two… One, two… One, two, three, four, five… One, two… One, two… One, two, three, four… One, two, three…_

The pattern was repeating like a pendulum as the two ninjas oddly-but-surely moved counter-clockwise.

_I guess being stumped has its moments, after all…_

…because I wouldn't have caught onto it otherwise.

But what did all of that mean?

_Think, Kira, think… _My brows furrowed. _What happened at Nagashino that involved artillery? Date and Takeda were obviously involved (alongside Uesugi) but… The arquebus corps was supposed to be…not front-line fighters but…backup? Who were they supporting? _A yellow figure flashed across my mind's eye. …_Tokugawa? And Honda was likely with him but… Were they a part of this battle? The clan was allied with Oda but they also defected at some point, right? And someone else… _An image of a naginata-wielding woman alongside a red-armored man clicked into place. _Oichi…! Right! She was there too, which meant that…_ My jaw tightened._ Her husband was killed in this battle, wasn't he? And… And Date was supposed to have gotten pissed and then hurt but he's not so… What does that mean? That Oichi's husband wasn't killed? That they retreated when the arquebus corps appeared? …That they were lucky?_

My brain hurt.

_Okay. That aside, what is the main thing that I need to know?_

Absentmindedly, I noted that the One-Eyed Dragon and the Young Tiger of Kai seemed almost…naked…without their respective helmet and necklace.

_All odds are against me and, if I want to have any chance of success, I have to take a large risk._

My graphite slid across the paper.

_Fuma won't help me voluntarily, but I need a diversion so…_

I handed it over to him and felt his chakra waver (just a bit) in confusion.

After a moment's hesitation, he finally took it.

The seal activated and my chakra slid into his system, causing a rather unmanly, though still unbelievably _quiet_, squeak to leave his lips as Fuma abruptly doubled over, clutching at his sides and trembling vigorously.

(I shuddered as my senses prickled.)

Remember how I described his chakra as being lavender, spicy, sweet, _ticklish_ and muffled?

…Yeah.

Immediately, I slammed my hands together and directed my chakra, conjuring up two clones, before I and clone-one dived into the shadows. In a mere four seconds, six ninjas were on top of us just as clone-two created clone-three and both split from the struggling mute. They faltered for a moment, clearly surprised by the appearance of Fuma, but they recollected themselves well enough and called for reinforcements.

As three more enemies arrived, clone-two and clone-three dived into the shadows: the former fleeing from the scene and the latter tripping them up with wires.

Faint green, smooth, woody, sweetly tart and fuzzy brushed against my senses and I pursed my lips as clone-one began moving towards the armory of the compound as discreetly as possible.

A beat passed before Sarutobi flickered after it.

With enemy attention split between my fleeing clone, my trapping clone, my sneaking clone and Fuma who was attempting to disengage while simultaneously fighting against my parasite-seal, I delved deeper into the shadows and slunk my way into the target area, molding my chakra into a gas mask.

Once in range, I let loose four of my Sheep and they exploded instantly, throwing up a thick gray fog. Their chakras faltered and I used that lapse of concentration to slip a seal into the Shieldless Armor before flinching when a flood of memories came to mind and diving back into the shadows just as a barrage of kunai stabbed into the floor where I was. My arm stung and something detonated, replacing the achromatic haze with one of a viridescent hue, before–

_…!?_

–I abruptly found myself sailing across the room and forced myself to turn in midair as a giant shuriken sailed past me before landing on all fours, wincing and cupping at my side.

Blood stained the courtyard.

I breathed raggedly and my hands twitched–

"Nngh…!"

–before I found myself pinned to the ground.

_Shit…!_

Gritting my teeth, I threw my head back and butted my assailant, hearing him yelp–_Heh._–indignantly, but his grip only tightened and so I flared my chakra. The seal flickered in reaction only to–_Fuck!_–falter almost immediately after. There was a prick in my neck–_!_–and I struggled futilely against the ironclad hold, throwing all caution to wind as my energy spiked again and again and again…

But I could already feel that numbing sensation seep into my blood, my muscles, my being.

My ears rang and then…

Nothingness.

* * *

**GN:** Whew! I finally managed to scrounge up enough motivation to write this chapter after...two months, I think? *grimace* Sorry for making y'all wait so long. I really had trouble figuring out how to go about this story. To be honest, my original idea ended much more differently (and possibly in a cliched manner) but, after much thought, I decided that this would be the most likely result against the Date-Takeda forces since they were already on guard anyway and... *sigh* My/Kira's luck was bound to run out sooner or later.

Also, I took a huge liberty with Fuma's character since, well, I really don't know much about him. (Aside from how cute he is in the mini-series anyway.) Regardless of how much of an unknown he is, though, I do like him quite a bit so…*shrugs*…what happens to him while I/Kira got knocked out will probably be mentioned in some way later on.

As for when the next chapter will come out... I have no answer. I'm just writing as I go now since my initial plan has been thrown off a cliff and into the abyss given how I'd diverged from it in this chapter.

Still, I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter and many thanks to **Crys** for reviewing. :) Until then...

**Disclaimer:** _Sengoku Basara_ © Capcom; _Naruto_ © Masashi Kishimoto; Kira and all other original concepts © me


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